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Accessing Melbourne An access guide to the City of Melbourne for visitors with mobility impairments. ACCESSING MELBOURNE Accessing Melbourne 2nd Edition, February 2006 Published by the City of Melbourne The researchers, authors and sponsors have tried their best to ensure the information in this guide is as accurate as possible. However, they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person using the information contained in this book. National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication Data Accessing Melbourne 2nd Edition ISBN 0-9578702-9-9 Accessing Melbourne: A Visitor Information Guide for People with a Disability 2nd Edition, February 2006 1. Australia – Guidebooks I. The City of Melbourne © Text – City of Melbourne, maps and diagrams – Easy Access Australia Publishing Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the written consent of the publisher and copyright owner. The City of Melbourne would like to thank the following organisations for their assistance and support: TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.....................................................................................vii Tourist Information...........................................................................viii Important Information and Phone Numbers .....................................x Public Holidays................................................................................xiv Part 1 Chapter 1 – Arriving in Melbourne ....................................................5 Chapter 2 – Getting Around in Melbourne......................................11 Chapter 3 – Accessible Toilets ........................................................27 Chapter 4 – Parking.........................................................................37 Chapter 5 – Specialist Information..................................................45 Part 2 Chapter 6 – Events and Attractions ................................................59 Chapter 7 – Parks and Gardens......................................................95 Part 3 Chapter 8 – Entertainment ............................................................115 Chapter 9 – Eating in the City .......................................................133 Chapter 10 – Shopping .................................................................153 Part 4 Chapter 11 – Accommodation ......................................................167 vi Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Welcome to Accessing Melbourne Whether you are a first time or frequent visitor, Accessing Melbourne will help make your stay in the central business district and surroundings an enjoyable one. Accessing Melbourne is for people with mobility related impairments and difficulties in negotiating the physical environment, although the needs of people comprising other groups are also considered. The book is laid out like a conventional tourist guide. Part 1 Deals with the basics of Arriving in Melbourne, Getting Around, Accessible Toilets and Parking. Part 2 Contains interesting tourist information about Melbourne’s main Cultural Events, Attractions and Parks and Gardens. Part 3 Comprises Entertainment, Eating, Shopping and Pubs and Clubs. Part 4 Lists Accessible Accommodation. Each part contains a Quick Find Index for easy referencing. Melbourne is a naturally welcoming city, with well laid out wide streets, beautiful parks and gardens and plenty of retail, entertainment, recreation and leisure opportunities. As one of Australia’s oldest cities, it is also comparatively accessible and things are improving all the time. This guide has been written to be readable and enjoyable, rather than as a purely technical access guide. There is a range of visitor information available for people living in or visiting Melbourne and some of these are referred to in Accessing Melbourne. Please use Accessing Melbourne to make the most of what Melbourne has to offer. A capital city is a great place to start when exploring a new state or country. After getting to know Melbourne, consider visiting the wide range of scenic regions and towns throughout Victoria. To assist your wider travels, go to www.visitvictoria.com This guide can be downloaded in PDF and Microsoft Word formats from www.melbourne.vic.gov.au Phone numbers Please note that when dialling from interstate, the area code for Melbourne (and Victoria) is 03. When dialling from overseas the country code and area code are 61 3. Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION vii Tourist Information Melbourne Visitors Centre Phone 9658 9658 Fax 9650 6168 Open Monday – Sunday 9am-6pm, Public Holidays 10am-6pm www.melbourne.vic.gov.au Melbourne’s Visitor Information Centre is located at Federation Square on the corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets. The centre provides information and a booking service for tours and accommodation. Access is level from the street and a lift then takes you down to the centre. An accessible toilet is available on this level. Information Booths in the Bourke Street Mall and Flinders Street Station provide free city maps, including the CBD Mobility Map. Open Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday and Public Holidays 11am-4pm. The Melbourne Greeter Service Phone 9658 9658 Fax 9650 6168 Email: [email protected] This service operates from The Melbourne Visitor Centre, and is based on the Big Apple Greeter Service in New York. Volunteers provide free half-day guided tours of the City of Melbourne, with orientation available in more than 15 languages. Tours reveal parts of Melbourne normally hidden to visitors, and can be adapted to suit your particular interests. Some of Melbourne’s Volunteer Greeters are skilled in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), and visitors with a disability are encouraged to arrange a tour. Information on this service can also be found at visitvictoria.com under Visitor Information Services. Book at least one day in advance. viii Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION Historic Rambles Guided theatrical tours of Melbourne allow visitors to discover a different perspective of the city. The tours are presented by ‘characters’ from Melbourne’s past. Call 9820 0239 for bookings. Specific tours of Melbourne’s theatres (see Theatres). City Ambassadors City of Melbourne Hotline on 9658 9658 Email: [email protected] City Ambassadors are trained volunteers who answer all kinds of queries. Easily identified by their red uniforms and red caps, they can be found in the retail heart of Melbourne in the area bordered by Elizabeth, Flinders, Russell and Latrobe Streets. Tourist Information Websites The following websites contain information on events, film, theatre, exhibitions, dance, music and forums available in Melbourne and further afield. Although not disability specific, some do state if venues/events are accessible. • www.melbourne.org.au • www.thatsmelbourne.com.au • www.melbourne247.com.au • www.onlymelbourne.com.au • www.melbournegigs.com Victorian Tourism Information Service Phone 132 842 Call between 8am-6pm daily, for information on public transport and general tourist information. Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION ix Important Information and Telephone Numbers Please note that when dialling from interstate the area code for Melbourne (and Victoria) is 03. When dialling from overseas the country code and area code are 61 3. Emergency Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade 000 Hospitals Casualty St Vincent’s Hospital 9288 2211 Alfred Hospital 9276 2000 Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre 9496 5000 Royal Children’s Hospital 9345 5522 Eye and Ear Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital 9929 8666 Dental Royal Dental Hospital 9341 0222 Other Poisons Information Centre 13 1126 RSPCA 9224 2222 State Emergency Service 9696 6111 x Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION Airlines Qantas Domestic 13 1313 International 13 1313 Flight Arrival 13 1223 Virgin Blue Reservations and Enquiries 136 789 Jetstar Reservations 131 538 Enquiries 8341 4901 Nican/Qantas Carer Concession Card Phone 1800 806 760 www.nican.com.au/ The Qantas Carer Concession Card is issued to people with a disability and high level support needs who require the full-time assistance of a carer whilst they are on the plane. Companion Card Phone 1800 650 611 www.companioncard.org.au The Victorian Companion Card entitles the holder to gain access to venues for a carer/companion at no cost. The Companion Card logo is used in this guide to denote organisations that accept the card. Telstra Phone 1802244 TTY 1800 808 981 www.telstra.com.au/disability/ttypayphones/index.htm Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION xi National Relay Service Within Australia: Phone 132544 (charged rates) TTY 133 677 Speech to Speech: Phone 1300 555 727 Calling Australia from Overseas: Phone 61 7 3815 8000 Emergency Relay Service Calls: Phone 106 Telephone Interpreter Service Phone 131 450 Translates a range of languages, a fee is charged. Travellers Aid Society of Victoria Ltd Phone 9654 2600 Fax 9654 1926 Travellers Aid Disability Access Service (TADAS) Swanston Street: Phone 9654 7690 TTY 9654 5412 Spencer Street: Phone 9670 2873 Yooralla Society Of Victoria Holiday and Travel Service 9916 5806 xii Accessing Melbourne INTRODUCTION Melbourne Mobility Centre at Federation Square Phone 9650 6499 Freecall 1800 735 266 TTY 9650 9316 1st Floor, Federation