Mobility Access Australia: Recent Episodes
Clint Deverson
A podcast talking about how accessible restaurants and cafés and other locations are to wheelchair users and other aides
In today’s episode which is season 5 episode two I talk about a motel in Albury in NSW called The GEORGIAN Motel which was a 3 star rated motel. I stayed there for one night in early April in 2026 on my way to Canberra over Easter.
Welcome to season 5 episode one and the first episode of 2026. Today I’ll be talking about Rye Hotel on how accessible it is which is a local pub in Rye.
In season 4 episode 5 I’ll be talking about The Continental which has been the most famous landmark of Victoria’s sought-after seaside town of Sorrento since 1875. Retaining the beloved heritage character, the icon has been reimagined as a lifestyle precinct that brings a piece of luxury to everyone with a highly curated collection of experiences.
In today’s episode of season 4 episode 4 I’ll be talking about a cafe that I’ve been to several times over the past few years that was originally called Happiness First Cafe which has now been sold out of their Rosebud location and now only operating from the Mornington Library in Mornington.The new owner has taken over the location and has changed the name and it’s still a business that employs people with disabilities and it’s been open since April 2025 and it’s now called Heart It Forward Cafe and they are open 6 days a week from Monday to Saturday and they also have a breakfast available on Saturday mornings as well now.This cafe is actually the first official business that I’ve placed my stickers at now where it’s an accessible business as I’ve seen several customers in wheelchairs and other mobility aides.
In season 4 episode 3 I’ll be talking about a caravan park in Cowra in Central NSW that my parents and I stayed at for two nights in May 2025 while visiting a family friend.
In season 4 episode 2 I’ll be talking about a motel in Wangaratta near the border of Victoria and NSW which is a 45 minute drive from Wodonga the border city in Victoria near Albury which is a 10 minute drive away from Wodonga and then it’s a 2 hour 45 minute drive from Melbourne on the Hume Highway.
In today’s episode which is season 4 episode 1. I’ll be talking about the Caldermeade Farm and Cafe that I visited in middle of last year in 2024 while attending a market they were having there which is located a 11 minute drive from Tooradin and a 45 minute drive from Wonthaggi in South Gippsland in Victoria. They are also open 7 days a week during normal business hours until 4pm every day.
In this episode of season 3 episode 8. I’ll be talking about a dedicated disability cafe located in Rosebud and at the Mornington Library on the Mornington Peninsula. Their website is at www.happinessfirst.com.au and the Rosebud cafe is open Monday through to Saturday from 9am to 3pm and the Mornington Library cafe is open from Monday through to Friday from 9am to 2pm.
In this episode which is season 3 episode 7 I talk about two burger restaurants in Mornington, Victoria which are Schnitz and Betty’s Burgers which are both next door to each other in Main Street in Mornington and they are both fully accessible and both have accessible bathrooms as well. Both restaurants have other stores located throughout Australia but I’ve only been to my two local restaurants near where I live but I have been to two other locations of Betty’s Burgers one in Manly in Sydney and one in the city of Melbourne as well but their Mornington and Manly locations were both accessible.
The Rex Hotel is located on Northborne Avenue in Canberra and is located across from a light rail stop which is fully accessible at all light rail stops throughout the route in Canberra. There’s a dedicated disabled parking bay and a 24 hour reception desk where you can let them know you require disabled parking and parking is free.
In episode 5 of season 3 I talk about the Geelong Disability Expo at the Geelong Arena in Geelong in Victoria which is held in mid February every year now. This venue was the first venue that I’ve placed my accessible business stickers at. Geelong is about 75kms from Melbourne city and you can get there by train from the city and you can drive to Geelong from the city as well. You can also get the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff which is a 45 minute ferry trip and then it’s about a 30 minute drive from Queenscliff to Geelong by car.
In today’s episode which is episode 4 of season 3 I talk about my experience at a motel in Albury in NSW that I stayed in twice on my trip to Canberra in late March and early April in 2024. This is also the second business that I’ve placed my accessible business stickers at now and the first sticker is located at the Geelong Arena where they had the Geelong Disability Expo in February this year. So keep a look out for my stickers on businesses around Victoria and NSW and Canberra and other places in Australia.such as in South Australia too whenever I’m there. I also highly recommend staying at this motel in Albury as well especially now that they have one of my stickers there now.
This is just a quick update about how I’ve just changed podcast hosting from Spotify to Podbean and where you can find my podcast again and talk about upcoming two episodes.
In this episode I talk about my experience at a hotel in Haymarket in Sydney where it wasn’t really accessible outside of the hotel on the street including the restaurants in the nearby areas as well. I stayed at the APEX World Square in Haymarket previous year but they put the price up by a lot plus had to pay $50 a day for parking for the 3 nights I was there but I’m not going to stay there again next time I visit Sydney again.
Coming to you live from The Park Cafe in Goulburn in NSW. First episode for 2024 on Thursday 18th of January at 1pm.
I just got a four month old puppy from a breeder on the 3rd of November 2023 which is an Aussiedoodle and we’re going to be training her as an Assistance Dog for myself. She’s four months old at the moment of this episode as she was born on the 27th of July 2023. It’ll take about 2 years to fully train her to become a fully trained assistance dog which we’ve registered with a local trainer near where we live.
In June, October and November 2023 I attended three disability expos here in Melbourne and I talk about how they were and if they were any good or not. All three events were pretty good overall but some needed a bigger venue.
My parents and I recently did a big road trip from Melbourne to Perth where we did around 8,846kms round trip where we left on 14th of September and got home on Sunday 15th of October 2023. The most accessible motel we stayed at was on the Nullarbor in Western Australia in a town called Eucla at the Eucla Motel. I stayed in room 29 and there was a ramp from the car park to the walkway and then they had a small wooden ramp going up into the room itself which had an accessible bathroom with a accessible shower and toilet which had a grab bar next to the toilet. If you are thinking about doing this road trip I highly recommend staying at this motel on your drive along the Nullarbor. They also operate in the Central Western Time Zone which is 45 minutes ahead of Perth local time.
This was a small country town in regional NSW an hour’s drive from the NSW/Victoria border. The pub was accessible from the back entrance via a laneway where they had private parking available for the public. Inside the pub there’s a dining area where you can order food and then a bar in another room at the front of the pub. They also offer accommodation but it’s not accessible for wheelchairs as the only access is via a flight of stairs to the rooms but downstairs is completely accessible except from the street where there’s a couple steps going into the building from the street. Best access is via the back car park which is completely accessible and flat and they also have a dedicated disabled toilet as well with a ramp going up into the disabled bathroom which is located outside next to the outdoor dining area. I highly recommend this pub if driving from Melbourne to Canberra or Sydney on the Hume Highway.
This fast food restaurant in Dickson in Canberra is definitely NOT accessible to wheelchair users unless they have your own portable ramp. Because there’s a dedicated disabled toilet inside the restaurant BUT people in wheelchairs can’t access the restaurant due to a step going into the restaurant from outside on the street and it’s exactly the same situation for Subway a couple doors away too where they also have a step going into their restaurant too! They have a dedicated disabled bathroom inside Oporto which is fine for people who have a mobility walker or are using a walking stick as you can just step up onto the step and open the doors which opens outwards. Then inside the disabled bathroom the lock on the actual door doesn’t work where the door handle is so there’s a latch just above the door handle that people can lock the door that way but if you are in a wheelchair it’s too high up if you are in a sitting position but you wouldn’t be able to get into the restaurant in the first place unless you’ve got a portable ramp with you! I was surprised to see a dedicated disabled bathroom in this store even though it’s not really accessible from the street! I mentioned it to the management and they agreed with me which was great to see but I still highly recommend going to another store instead of this one! There’s another store in the city opposite the Canberra Centre which is 100% accessible due to the store being street level and has automatic glass doors and everything is flat. So I suggest visiting this store instead of the store in Dickson!
Located on the footsteps of the Parliamentary Triangle, the Brassey Hotel is set on two and a half acres of manicured gardens and lawns. This 1920’s hotel has old world charm with all the comforts of a quality property. Positioned within Canberra’s most prestigious suburb of Barton, you will be a short stroll from all the iconic attractions including Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library, Old Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin.
Went to see the Mary Poppins Musical on the 12th of March and the theatre is pretty accessible as there’s no steps going into the building from the street and the disabled bathroom was pretty good too as they had a help button in the bathroom which was great to see! Highly recommend going to this theatre for it’s accessibility to the building and I rate it 9/10 stars for accessibility! I’m definitely going to go back there again to mention this to the staff who were pretty helpful. I’ve uploaded some videos of my time on the Facebook and Instagram pages so you can view them on there.
This episode is about our road trip to Queensland and back to Melbourne in late January to early February in 2023.
In this episode I’ll be talking about how accessible the places are in and around Haymarket and Chinatown are in Sydney. While I was staying there for 3 nights from the 20th of January 2023. Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast and to share with your friends and also to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more detailed updates such as photos and videos.
My parents and I went on a big road trip up to Brisbane from Melbourne and we left on the 19th of January until 10th of February 2023. The next few episodes are going to be about where I stayed in hotels along the way and some places we visited as well. This accommodation was actually listed on Accessible Accommodation Australia and their website is at www.accessibleaccommodation.com and they are worth having a look on their website for other accessible accommodation around Australia!
This episode is about an Italian restaurant in Toorak on Grange Road in Toorak in Melbourne. There’s dedicated parking outside the restaurant and the restaurant is completely level throughout the restaurant and there’s a public toilet across from the restaurant which is kind of accessible but could be a little bit narrow to get access to but the restaurant itself was accessible and they also have outdoor dining available as well. At the time of this episode going out they’ll be closed from the 12th of December 2022 until late January 2023 as they’ll be going away on holidays so they’ll be open again from February next year if anyone wants to have dinner there.
Went to the Oz Comic Con this weekend at the Melbourne Showgrounds for their Christmas edition. The building was completely accessible to everyone including a ramp going down to the lower level where the exhibits were located and they had two separate disabled toilets available in the exhibition hall that they were having it in. Then there’s an outdoor area where they have food trucks available for lunch and inside the building was pretty accessible as there were several people in wheelchairs including a member of staff who was working at the Oz Comic Con and I saw this lady at the main Comic Con earlier this year at their usual location at the Melbourne Convention Centre which I did an episode on earlier this year. Both venues are completely accessible to everyone which is great to see!
Went to see the stage show performance at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne which was called A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens the author. This theatre was pretty accessible with a temporary ramp going into the building and had an accessible bathroom with a working lock on the door. The only accessible seating area is the stalls area of the theatre as there’s no elevator going up to the second level. The street outside the building was pretty accessible and nice and flat and there was a cycle lane outside which has plenty of space to wheel yourself around to it from the traffic lights on the corner a few metres away from the main entrance to the theatre which was completely flat as well. I’ve filmed a couple videos during my time at this theatre which I’ve never been to before and they’ll be available to watch on my Instagram and Facebook pages this week.
I did a social experiment a few days before Halloween where I used a manual wheelchair to attend two stage performances at two theatres in Melbourne in late October 2022. You can see video footage of the experience on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
You can now follow me on Facebook and Instagram so just search for Mobility Access Australia on both platforms and you’ll be able to find me! You can even comment on my posts that I’ll be doing on Facebook and Instagram and I’ll be posting photos of the areas that I’ll be visiting and maybe even some videos of the area too. So follow me on both platforms and continue listening to my podcast episodes on all of the major podcast services!
In this 5th episode I talk about my two local cinemas Rosebud and Sorrento cinemas. I mostly go to the Rosebud Cinema as they have 5 screens there and they show movies more often then Sorrento Cinema does which only has 3 cinemas. But the Rosebud location is bigger and better and is completely 100% accessible to everyone as they have dedicated disabled parking bays directly outside and then there’s a ramp going up to the front entrance along with a dedicated disabled toilet and they have a ramp going up into cinemas 1, 2 and 3 and then a slight downward slope to cinemas 4 and 5 but cinema 1 is the biggest one but they are still all fully accessible to everyone who has mobility issues!
ROMEOS TOORAK is an iconic Melbourne restaurant that has been owned and operated by the Tannous family, for the past 4 decades. Located in the heart of Toorak Village, Romeos is well known for its relaxed and social atmosphere and provides diners with excellent service in a warm and inviting environment. Recognised often as a “Toorak Institution”, Romeos is still a favourite to many locals, celebrities, TV personalities and sports stars. Consistently providing its guests with generous servings of quality, comfort, home style Italian food, Romeos Toorak continues to successfully stand the test of time.
This weekend I attended the Oz Comic Con over the June Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and I also attended another convention here earlier this year which was the Melbourne Disability Expo which I think was held in March or April this year. The whole entire building was fully accessible including several disabled toilets which were quite roomy and had a full length mirror and bars to use at the toilet itself. A good thing was that there were several people who were in wheelchairs and other mobility devices and the organisers were all pretty helpful as well.
I recently had lunch at the Rosebud Pub in their bistro area and the whole building was fully accessible and there’s a dedicated accessible toilet area next to the bar. However the door leading into the bathroom area where all the bathrooms were located seemed a little bit heavy on the door which also opened inward along with the disabled toilet room door as where it opened inward as well. It would’ve been nice to have a swinging door into the public bathroom areas though but otherwise the whole entire building was fully accessible and there was an outdoor beer garden area but I didn’t have a look at this area on this visit but I’m guessing that it would probably be accessible there as well. Then there’s a couple of dedicated disabled parking bays directly outside the entrance in the car park area including a few normal parking bays as well. The entrance into the building has a slight ramp going up into the building but still pretty flat and accessible for anyone in a wheelchair or a walker and once inside the building it’s completely flat everywhere. Plus you can access this pub from public transport such as buses and taxis and ride share like Uber and other companies.
Went to a restaurant in Chapel Street in South Yarra in Melbourne recently called Chapellis and it’s located at 571 Chapel Street in South Yarra in Melbourne but they didn’t have any accessible toilets in the restaurant other then a accessible entrance on the side street. The restaurant was only half accessible but if you need to go to the toilet you’ll have to find somewhere else to go but the restaurant was still accessible in some areas and still worth visiting.
Welcome to the Mobility Access Australia podcast. My name is Clint and on this show I’ll be talking about how accessible restaurants and cafés and other locations are to wheelchair users and other aides that people use. I’ll be visiting different locations and talking about how accessible they are for everyone so they can visit them themselves. Hope you enjoy my podcast and looking forward to getting out there to locations soon!