An all-abilities pontoon will be built at a Sunshine Coast park, in what is believed to be an Australian-first for accessibility.
The pontoon will be installed at Mooloolaba’s Charles Clarke Park, allowing people of all abilities to access the Mooloolah River kayak trail.
Sunshine Coast Council Community Portfolio Councillor David Law it would be a specialised pontoon for non-motorised craft.
“We need to improve access to the Mooloolah River for people of all abilities, so more people can enjoy an adventure on our magnificent waterways,” Cr Law said.
“As far as we are aware, this structure is the first of its kind in South East Queensland and possibly even Australia.”
He said the goal was for the final design to allow people of all abilities, including those using wheelchairs and mobility aids, to transition into their non-motorised craft unassisted or with the help of their carer.
Cr Law said the draft pontoon design aimed to be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Australian Standards for access and mobility.
He said Council found other structures around the country either had DDA compliant access to the pontoon, but no all-ability access to the water or no DDA complaint access to the pontoon, but all abilities access to the water.
“This project aims to combine these attributes into a holistic facility that can be enjoyed by all.”
Cr Law said carparking and facilities in the park would also be upgraded to be DDA compliant.
He said the project included a new 2m-wide pathway from the accessible carparks leading to the large pontoon.
“Once on the pontoon, kayaks would be placed in a specialised launcher. The launcher would incorporate design elements such as slide stops to allow people with a range of different abilities to manually enter and exit the launcher.”
Cr Law said a tiered seat would allow transition from wheelchair sitting height to watercraft level.
He said this tiered seat was planned to include an extendable sliding bench that would allow seated access over the launcher for users to slip into the kayak easily.
“There would also be a lockable wheelchair and kayak roller storage area on the pontoon.”
The community is invited to provide feedback on the proposal by November 11 through an online survey.
