At the Basin on Rottnest Island, Dad and two kids snorkel around the natural pool. The difference this time is that Mum is on the sand, rather than semi-abandoned on the clifftop, parked wherever’s suitable for the wheelchair.
On the surface of it, this island off the coast of Perth in Western Australia is not ideally suited to visitors with disabilities. It is car-free, and even hiring a golf buggy requires a driving permit, obtained weeks in advance.
Being able to hire out a beach wheelchair, free of charge, changes the equation, though. A normal wheelchair can navigate the island’s paths, spotting ridiculously-cute quokkas on the way, but with a Sandcruiser, the beaches are no longer insurmountable obstacles.
Burleigh Heads beach has introduced access matts
(David Whitley)
For a family that usually ends up separated during beach time, this is a marvel. Mum can dip her feet in the water for the first time in years, and the kids can play in the sand around her.
In Australia, this is not a one-off. Making beaches accessible is a growing phenomenon.
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The Sandcruiser, with its polyurethane balloon-style wheels, is one of several brands of beach wheelchair found in council offices and surf clubs around the country.
Company owner Drew Valentine first encountered beach wheelchairs when working as a lifeguard on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. “I injured my shoulder, so they put me on the beach wheelchairs programme,” he says. “People were crying, saying they hadn’t been on the beach for 20 years. To see the change in people when they get back, and how excited they are, it’s incredible.”
Basin Rottnest Island has made great strides in becoming more accessible
(David Whitley)
Valentine then began distributing the balloon wheels in Australia, with Sandcruiser originally one of his clients before he took over the business in 2011.
Since then, there has been a shift from selling the beach wheelchairs to individuals to selling them to councils. Under Australian federal law, public places must be made accessible to all. In recent years, there has been a growing acknowledgement that this means beaches, too, even though the law doesn’t specifically cover them.
“Some councils are more active about this than others,” says Valentine. “But councils tend to network and share ideas and it gets a bit…
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