Road’s great acessibility touted

GREAT Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT) has launched a new campaign showcasing accessible experiences in the region, and challenging people’s perceptions of travel for people with disabilities.

The peak body for the local tourism sector has developed new marketing content for the region that provides inspiration and useful planning information for people with disabilities.

“The Great Accessible Road Trip” campaign showcases some of the region’s best accessible activities, and businesses that are providing inclusive experiences for people travelling with disabilities.

The organisation wants to grow the capability of tourism businesses in the region to cater better for people with disabilities, so that more of the region’s experiences are accessible.

It has created business resources and training opportunities to help businesses understand and improve how they welcome people with accessibility requirements.

“We have been working with businesses in our region to grow our capability to provide accessible experiences to visitors, including improving the way we promote the region to demonstrate inclusion,” GORRT general manager Liz Price said.

“The Great Accessible Road Trip campaign supports a range of new online accessibility content about our region, providing helpful information and inspiration for people with disabilities.”

She said people with disabilities represented 21.4 per cent of Australians according to Australian Bureau of Statistics and 22 per cent of all domestic trips, contributing $27.7 billion in domestic visitor spend.

“It is important for businesses to consider the experience they provide to such a large proportion of their potential customers.”

The Great Accessible Road Trip features best friends, Harve McCorkall and Flynn Gurry, both born and raised in Warrnambool, taking a classic road trip.

Harve spent a lot of their early life at the Royal Children’s in Melbourne and uses a wheelchair, lives with Parkinsonian dystonia and is deaf. This does not stop the pair from surfing, skating, travelling and experiencing nature, and the road trip project shows Harve doing all of this across the Great Ocean Road region.

Gurry is also passionate about raising awareness and normalising disability. The road trip showcases just how much someone in a wheelchair can do. The campaign features Flynn’s original track You Changed My Life, which he wrote about his friendship with Harve and performs at all his shows.

Accessible public infrastructure along the Great Ocean Road includes facilities at the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and Stevenson’s Falls in the Otways, plus an Accessible Beach initiative implemented by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority.

For more information, head to visitgreatoceanroad.org.au/plan-your-trip/accessibility