Accessible Beaches Initiative

In partnership with Life Saving Victoria and a number of local Life Saving Clubs, we’re delivering Accessible Beaches initiatives at four locations along the Great Ocean Road this year.

During peak season we are providing beach and river access matting, beach wheelchairs (bookings required), a Liberty Swing,  accessible parking and toilets at locations across Fishermans Beach in Torquay, Anglesea Riverbank, Lorne Beach and Apollo Bay.

In preparation for the busy summer period we have installed the beach and river access matting at Fishermans Beach, with these same facilities planned to be installed at Anglesea Riverbank, Lorne Surf Life Saving Club and the Apollo Bay Surf Life Saving Club from early January to mid-April 2024.

The wheelchairs will be available for free hire in 1.5 hour slots, longer time slots may be available on request.

Fishermans Beach in Torquay is not a patrolled beach therefore it is not recommended to swim at this location, the beach wheelchair is ideal for enjoying the beach at Fishermans Beach. 

For swimming and entry to the water we recommend visiting Lorne during patrol times.  Patrol times and locations can be found at the Beachsafe website.

Bookings are required and must be made two business days prior by emailing info@greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au. Please be aware that the beach wheelchair doesn’t fit into disabled toilets due to extra wide wheels.

Please note:

To ensure the matting is not washed away or damaged by storms, we are unable to extend the matting below the high tide line.

A member of our team checks the placement of all beach access matting twice weekly and after storms. During strong winds, large amounts of sand can deposit during a couple of hours, and while we endeavour to do our best to ensure the matting remains accessible to all, during these times it is not always possible to keep the matting clear of loose wind-blown sand.

For urgent maintenance issues such as inaccessible access matting, we ask the community to please call us on 1300 736 533 to report any issues.

For further details on each of the Accessible Beaches initiatives, please see below.