Australia
Perth
Pinnacles & Rottnest Island AIR SAFARI
March 2, 2008
Description & Accessibility
Now I knew the airplanes used where small aircraft, so I specifically asked the travel agency to make sure that I would be able to carry the foldable wheelchair on the aircraft and the answer that came back was that they could.
However what was confirmed as possible proved more difficult and the wheels of the wheelchair has to be removed in order to fit inside the plane. They said someone had done it before but likely it had smaller wheels than the one I had.
Wasted an hour because of this before we could even leave on the tour which shortened our day by one hour.
When we got to our first stop (Pinnacles) we where met by a tour guide with a van. Since we had such a problem getting the wheelchair into the plane we decided to leave the wheelchair in the plane and with assistance walked over to the tour van.
The van used would be suitable for a small group but in our case it was just the tour guide, pilot that came along and me and my wife.
Along the way some wildlife could be seen the driver/guide gave a narration on the history and information of the area.
The Pinnacles itself are a field of limestone rock formations unique to the area.
We did get out of the van at one location at the Pinnacles but I stayed close to the van location.
Accessibility at the Pinnacles:
The tour guide said he would be better equipped for mobility restricted persons if he would get more of them, but for him since he may only get one every one or two years that it does not make business sense for him to go to the expense when in the overall picture he gets a disabled person so rarely.
The pinnacles itself is a sandy area and wheelchairs and sand do not mix well unless it is a wheelchair meant to be used in sand which few of us have.
The small airplane proved to be a pain to transport the wheelchair and burned up tour time just to figure out how to take the wheels off to take it. Some types of travel scooters may have been easier to carry on the plane then the foldable wheelchair.
After the Pinnacles visit we got back on the plane and flew to Rottnest Island. Now when we arrived at Rottnest the pilot helped assemble the wheelchair and then said he was going to stay at the plane. There was a transit bus that would take you up to the village but the pilot did not know the schedule so we decided just to go to the tourist village on our own. On the way the bus we could have taken passed us.
Because of all the time we burned up trying to get the wheelchair on the aircraft we only had about an hour and half on Rottnest. It was an uphill road to the village area which made it slow and difficult to get up, and had to ask several people along the way the route to take, once we got there we enquired about the tours of the island which would have been too late to take as the pilot wanted to leave at the certain time, so we decided just to get something to eat and head back to the plane as there was no more time to do anything else. When we went to buy food, who was there, the pilot eating, who had previously told us he was staying at the plane, he was also gone before we where finished eating; it did cross my mind that he was avoiding having to push me in the wheelchair. Going back down the hill was easier than going up.
No private vehicles are allowed on Rottnest island, and I am not aware of any accessible vehicles at all on the island. So we really did not have any opportunity to easy see much at Rottnest.
When we got back to home base, with the pilot’s supervisor and other workers present, the pilot quickly volunteered to push me.
Accessibility:
Storage compartment and carrying capacity on the small plane is quite limited, a lot of mobility devices may not fit. Pinnacles limited accessibility because of sandy terrain, van could carry mobility devices if they where foldable or quickly came apart. Rottnest did not appear to be really equipped to handle transportation wise mobility restricted persons but one website seems to indicate differently..
I original web site page seems to not be there now but it did atate before…
“Rottnest Island provides an access and facility-friendly holiday destination for all visitors. With wide pathways, easy to read signage and ramps to most facilities Rottnest Island is easily accessible. There is also plenty of outdoor seating and numerous toilet facilities. Wheelchairs, electric scooters (gophers) and beach wheelchairs are available for hire and the Island has a wheelchair compatible shuttle bus for access to and from the ferries.”
I did find this webpage now…
We arrived by air not by ferry and never saw this same degree of accessibility, but with an electric mobility device you may be able to explore the area on your own. We also did not see the wheelchair compatible shuttle bus referred to in their website but we where not there that long due to time restrictions, we also where not down at the ferry dock.
By: Donald Kerr