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Make Australian Beaches Accessible

Accessible Beaches Australia is calling on the government to increase funding and support to Councils and Surf Life Saving Clubs to make our beaches more accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges.

Read on to find out how you can help and to sign our petition to the government.

The beach is for everyone

Going to the beach is a quintessential part of life for most Australians - 87% of our population lives within 50km of the coast.

BUT

Out of almost 12,000 beaches, less than 2% are accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges

THIS MEANS

Many of the 4.4 million Australians living with a disability are excluded from participating in our most iconic Summer activities.

AND

They are socially excluded from enjoying the beach with their families and friends

We think we can do better. Help us make Australian beaches accessible for everyone.

How you can help

We are calling on the government to increase funding for local beach accessibility projects. Sign the petition by clicking here to help us make a difference. Sign the petition and share our campaign with family and friends on your social media to help make all Australian beaches accessible.

Sign the petition

Sign our petition to call on the government to increase funding to local councils and life saving clubs to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment such as beach matting and beach wheelchairs.

Download our advocacy pack

Send it to your local council to advocate for making beaches in your area accessible.

Download the media release

Donate to Accessible Beaches Australia

Our stories

Hear what beach access means

Tash

Adam

Share our campaign with your family and friends. Let’s join together to make a difference

🏖️ About Henley Beach – Accessibility at its best! Spend a beautiful day out at this gorgeous beach, surrounded by grassed areas and plenty of restaurants.It is approximately 11.1 kms long and just a 23 minute drive from the Adelaide CBD on t
"Just think about the importance of young kids coming down to the beach with their parents, and it just being the norm to see people with disabilities being included. That plants a seed and they bring that out into their lives, whether that be a
🚨 Did you know we conduct training? 🚨 Our topics include: 🧑‍🦽 Disability Awareness 👐 Inclusive practices 🌊 Setting kids with disabilities up for success in nippers Great for any: 🕋 Organisation 🏄 Surf Life Saving Club or 🏫 Council T
Want to Get Involved? 🌟 We’re making beaches accessible for everyone – and you can help! 💙 Check out our Current Opportunities page to see how you can volunteer, partner, or support our mission. Together, we can make a real differ

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Be part of our story

Get the latest news and updates from Accessible Beaches Australia. If you have a story of challenges with beach access please contact us below. If you've experienced a great accessible beach that isn't listed, please tell us!

Make Australian Beaches Accessible campaign was made possible with thanks to volunteers Tash and Adam and their friends, along with the volunteers at Accessible Beaches Australia, and with thanks to campaigns agency, Agenda C.

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Sources: ABA Campaign Stats and references

  • 4.4 million Australians are living with a disability.

  • Over 50% of Australians over 65 have a disability.

  • 85% of Australians live within 50km of our coastline.

  • Australia has almost 12,000 beaches. 

  • Less than 2% are accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges (around 150 that we know of).

  • Very few are fully accessible.

  • Beach wheelchairs need to be collected from sites that are not at the beach.

  • Beach wheelchairs are only available during short times on a few days a week.

  • There are approximately 600 patrolled beaches in Australia.

References