With its sunny skies, cool sea breeze and world-famous coastline, a trip to New South Wales wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the many stunning beaches in the area. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing evening surrounded by beautiful scenery or somewhere to socialise with friends, there’s a wheelchair accessible beach in NSW waiting for you.
Gone are the days when wheelchair users were limited to the boardwalk or having to be lifted across the sand. Thanks to local efforts to make New South Wales wheelchair accessible, everyone can now get up close and personal with Australia’s beautiful seafront.
There are now many wheelchair accessible beaches throughout New South Wales that offer wide boardwalks, beach wheelchairs, ramps, wheelchair friendly facilities and special rubber beach mats straight to the shoreline.
With many wheelchair friendly beaches scattered along the coast, there are plenty of reasons to make New South Wales your first choice for your next outing. But before you pack your beach bag, check out the following list of the best wheelchair accessible beaches NSW has to offer.
Wheelchair accessible beaches in NSW
Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is one of the busiest and most beautiful beaches in Australia. The great news for people in the disabled community is that Waverley Council has been working on a number of schemes to improve inclusion and make the area more accessible for people who use a wheelchair or mobility aid.
Wheelchair users can access the beach mat at Bondi Beach and the promenade from both the main entrance on Campbell Parade and from a wheelchair ramp located at the northern end of the beach, close to Wally Weekes children’s pool.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Bondi Beach include:
- beach matting
- rental beach wheelchairs
- accessible toilets and showers
- wheelchair storage lockers
- mobility parking bays
Malabar Beach
What could be better than being able to roll onto the beach in your own wheelchair? This Sydney beach was one of the first in New South Wales to use a beach mat, which offers permanent wheelchair access all year round.
Malabar Beach was chosen for the project given its calm waters that are perfect for people with disabilities to relax in and its protection from the ocean swell. The 60-metre beach matting at Malabar Beach was installed as part of a project by Randwick City Council, the Rainbow Club Australia and the Lions Club and allows power and manual wheelchair users, as well as those who use walkers and other mobility aids, to reach the waterfront.
While at Malabar Beach, you will also want to visit the Malabar Ocean Pool, which offers complete accessibility for wheelchair users to dip their toes in the warm water.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Malabar Beach include:
- beach matting
- accessible ocean pool
- accessible toilet facilities
- mobility parking bays
- rental wheelchairs
Avoca Beach
If you’re considering a beach day in New South Wales, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit Avoca Beach. This surfers’ hotspot curves for 1.7km and is surrounded by picturesque wooded hills. The nearby village of Avoca provides ample wheelchair accessible cafes, restaurants and boutiques.
At Avoca Beach, you can remain in your own wheelchair or rent out an adult or child beach chair from the Surf Lifesaving Club. The rubber beach matting extends almost to the water’s edge and is perfect for all types of wheelchair users to explore the white sand beach.
To accommodate varied needs, there are three models of beach wheelchairs available including the Sand Cruiser, the Hippocampe and the Water Wheel.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Avoca Beach include:
- beach matting
- rental wheelchairs
- disabled parking spaces
- wheelchair accessible bathrooms
- plenty of eat-in and take-away accessible eateries
Fingal Beach
Fingal Beach, which is known for its iconic Fingal Spit, is ranked as one of Tourism Australia‘s top 20 beaches of 2020.
The local council has made a lot of progress in ensuring the area is more disability friendly, and beach accessibility is among the improvements that have benefitted the locality. As an accessible beach, a beach mat has been installed to allow access for all disabled beach goers including those who use ordinary wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
Fingal Beach also has beach wheelchairs which can be loaned out from the Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club. There is a limited supply, and they are available for free on a first come, first served basis. The wheelchairs available include the Davinci chair and the Mobi-Chair Floating Wheelchair, which was donated to Port Stephens Council by Ability Links.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Fingal Beach include:
- beach matting
- rental wheelchairs (including water wheelchair)
- disabled parking spaces
- wheelchair accessible bathrooms
- beach access ramp
Toowoon Bay Beach
Toowoon Bay is one of the Central Coast’s best kept secrets and is a must-see for anyone wanting to watch the migrating whales and friendly dolphins as they swim close to the shore.
As part of the council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, Toowoon Bay received a permanent beach mat for use throughout the summer patrol season. The inclusion plan was launched to ensure people with disabilities can participate in all aspects of community life as well as enjoy public areas, including the beautiful Toowoon Bay Beach.
There is a range of beach wheelchairs available to rent for free from the Surf Club buildings. You can secure a beach wheelchair by filling in the Toowoon Bay Beach wheelchair booking form.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Toowoon Bay Beach include:
- beach wheelchairs
- floating wheelchairs
- pre-booking options
- beach matting
- renewed walkways
Lighthouse Beach Ballina
Ballina Council is committed to making their beaches inclusive for wheelchair users and, in recent years, the council has been doing an excellent job at improving their beach access.
The Ballina Tourism team manages rental wheelchairs which are available from Ballina Surf Club. The beach wheelchairs are available free of charge and can be rented out for up to one week.
After spending a day by the sea, you’ll probably want to watch the sunset while dining on tasty seafood. There are many wheelchair accessible indoor and outdoor restaurants and cafés throughout Ballina to choose from, including the Lighthouse Beach Café and The Cove Ballina.
Some of the wheelchair friendly facilities available at Lighthouse Beach Ballina include:
- rental wheelchairs
- weekly wheelchair rental options
- beach matting
- wheelchair accessible eateries
- disabled parking spaces
ConnectAbility Australia can provide a range of services to those individuals who are living with a disability, our goals are to empower people to achieve their goals, dreams, and aspirations. We are a registered NDIS provider, call us on 02 4349 3700 if you would like to know more about the services we offer.
