Shearwater Resort, Caloundra

We enjoyed our stay at Shearwater Resort, Caloundra in a serviced apartment on the second floor.  We had a balcony with a view of the water. There were two bedrooms, lounge and kitchen, bathroom with separate toilet.  There was a great Italian restaurant downstairs, Domenico's, which did delicious take-away pizzas and we dined in the restaurant one night.  We were  also fortunate to be across the road where the Dawn Service was held.  Neither of us had attended one before and this year "it came to us".

We were told our apartment was wheelchair friendly, with a roll-in shower and a rail in the bathroom.  There are no rails in the toilet and I couldn't fit my wheelchair in there.  We took my portable commode with us, which helped me to use the toilet and also doubled as a shower chair.  The shower has no curtain so water is splashed outside the shower area.  Unfortunately for me, this accommodation was not ideal.  We enquired about another wheelie-friendly apartment nearby which was worse than this one.  It seems most of the accommodation at Kings Beach is too old.  Of course, as we are all different, this apartment may suit others.  It's such an individual thing.

Sun Princess, October/November 2016

We did a round-Australia cruise recently aboard the Sun Princess.  It was an enjoyable and interesting cruise stopping at all capital cities and other towns along the way including Broome and Albany.  There was also a stop at Alotau in Papua New Guinea.  We had an accessible cabin with wheel-in shower; rails in shower, and beside toilet. 

The cabin was comfortable and easy to negotiate. We had single beds which was ideal as my spasticity is a problem and can wake my husband.  He said the mattresses were too soft.  There was some difficulty moving about the ship when I wanted to go out on the deck, with or without my husband being with me.  There were ramps but they were not ideal, having a flat bit sticking up at the top.  We often had to wait for some kind person to hold the door open (very heavy) and help me in or out.  None of the excursions were accessible but this was not a problem for  us.  We hired taxis at each destination and found that to be cheaper and we got local people showing us the sites of each place we stopped.

There was a small ramp to get in to bathroom.  The shower was not ideal.  There was a drop-down seat, but there was a rail along the back.  So I'm sitting on the seat with a rail at my back, making it a bit uncomfortable to stay on seat.  The shower was on my left and the shower gel and shampoo on my right, both sort of behind me.  The drainage was good with a drain around the shower area so water did not go into the rest of the bathroom.  I have good core strength so I would suggest if you don't have that strength, you need a shower chair (plastic chair) for safety. 

Braeside, Maleny September 2016

We attended a family wedding at Maleny and stayed at a lovely B&B called Braeside.  When you walk in there are breathtaking views of the Glasshouse Mountains.  We stayed two nights so we would be close the wedding venue and we could enjoy a weekend in this beautiful environment.  When the proprietors decided to have a B&B they were required to have one room as wheelchair accessible.  It worked well for us.  There was a drop-down seat in the shower.  The rails in the shower and beside the toilet were adequate for me.  I could wheel-in to shower, toilet and hand basin.  It was also easy to wheel outside my room as the area had polished floor boards.  We could have breakfast while taking in the view and watching the birds outside coming to feed. The proprietor was also kind enough to drive us the short distance to the wedding and picked us up later.  Sadly, the B&B was For Sale as the proprietors would like to retire.

La Promenade, Caloundra - April 2016

We had a lovely weekend at Caloundra last week staying in an accessible unit at La Promenade.  Our hosts Kerry and Michael were very welcoming and want to encourage more people who use a wheelchair to enjoy the unit.  I know we are all have different levels of disability.  What works well for me may not necessarily work for others.  I can stand-transfer and I'm very strong.  This unit worked well for me.  There was a minor problem with the bed partially blocking access to the bathroom.  When needed, the bed can be easily moved with Michael's help.

The bathroom was accessible through another door in the hallway and this is the one I used.  The shower has a drop-down bench seat.  I was able to transfer to and from my wheelchair using the shower rail and with help from my husband/carer.  The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were a little high and could come down about 15 cm.  The shower had a moveable head so I could reach it easily.

The toilet worked well for me with the rails against the wall.  I would like to see a drop down rail on the other side which would help me to transfer to and from my chair.  The drop down rail could be left up for those who don't need that. 

The kitchen is not ideal and I think our hosts will work on that.  There are limited cooking facilities with only a microwave oven sitting on the bench and making it difficult to access power points.  There is a plug-in hot plate but not much space on the bench. 

The floors are tiled so easy to wheel around.  The view from the unit, which is on the second floor, is fantastic.  Those on the ground floor are fishing outside their unit.  That's how close we are to the water.  The weather was not the best last weekend with very strong winds making it unpleasant to be outside.  Our unit has a balcony which is accessible with a wheelchair.  This is the first time I've seen this.  Usually it is difficult to get over the tracks of the sliding door and then a drop to the balcony.  At this unit there is a tiled slope which makes it easy to get down.  We didn't stay out there long because of the wind but on a normal sunny day it would be a very pleasant spot to relax with a drink and enjoy the view.

Monier Hotel, Darra

This was quite a good toilet.  Door a bit heavy, push to open, then pull to exit.  As I stand transfer to the toilet seat I found the placement of the toilet paper holder was not ideal for me as it got in the way.  Note there is somewhere to hang a handbag but nowhere to put anything else except the floor.  The basin, liquid soap and paper handtowels were all conveniently close together.  A clean toilet. 4/5

Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point

I attended a conference yesterday at the Belvedere Hotel at Woody Point.  The hotel has wheelchair access at the rear of the hotel with plenty of disabled parking.  I used the lift to get to the conference upstairs.  I used the toilet during a break in proceedings.  The door opened inward and was very heavy.  The toilet had two toilet roll holders above the bar next to the toilet.  I appreciate everyone is different, even in the "disabled" world, so this may not be a problem for other disabled people.  I can stand transfer and I find the position of the toilet roll holders gets in my way in moving from the wheelchair to the toilet seat then a little later back to the wheelchair.  I would prefer the toilet roll holders were below the rail and back a little so I can pull myself up without banging against the toilet roll holder.  Leaving the toilet I had to pull the heavy door inwards to get out.  It never ceases to amaze me how every toilet is different.

The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich

We enjoyed a great day out at the Museum last week.  This is an old building, originally used by the workers to repair Queensland's trains.  The Museum has done a lot of work to make the museum wheelchair friendly and that made the day especially enjoyable for me.  I used the toilet which is also a baby-changing room.  I am always wary of these "joint" facilities as it is not always a hygienic arrangement.  There was nowhere to put my handbag except the floor or the table.  The toilet roll holder is almost on top of the toilet rail so gets in my way, especially when transferring from the toilet to my chair.  It was a good-sized room with more than ample space.