For many years, Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre has been an easy place for wheelchair users to visit. However, even this experienced operator learned more about accessible tourism during an Austrade project.
Automatic doors, spacious aisles and ramps with tactile indicators. The Heritage Centre, in northern Tasmania's Tamar Valley, has long had these features - and more.
On the site of an old gold mine, it's an unlikely accessible destination. It has made itself so with careful design and clever means.
Viewing platforms and video feeds open up the trickiest corners. There's an accessible viewing platform over parts of the mineshaft and above the onsite ruins. Cameras beam views of the kanamaluka/River Tamar from cameras atop the 16 m headframe (or mining tower) to ground-level monitors.
Viewing windows are at a low, accessible height, and the ticket desk has a lowered side. Well-placed seating offers rest breaks for visitors using walking aids. Accessible bathrooms are a given.
More to accessible tourism than mobility
Despite such excellence, the Austrade-led Accessible Tourism Mentoring Pilot Project gave the Heritage Centre an important reminder. It brought home the idea that accessible tourism is about more than mobility.
'We've always said we're about 90% accessible,' says Centre Coordinator Sharon Sikkema. 'But the project highlighted areas like sensory experiences and communication tools. It made us think about the noisy spots and dark spots in our exhibits.'
Some guests already came with service dogs, says Sikkema. However, the project 'made us think about addressing complex sight and hearing needs, as well as anxiety, autism and mental health aspects. It inspired us to build a more inclusive environment'.
Getting the lowdown at the front door
Beaconsfield staff and volunteers individually greet every visitor - with or without disability. Employees explain the floor plan in detail and offer tips on navigating the site.
Staff largely did this before the centre took part in the accessible tourism pilot. Now, to be more inclusive, they're careful never to miss it, says Sikkema.
Today, staff tell visitors that some of the machinery onsite is loud. They outline the best routes to follow, and areas people may want to avoid.
Beaconsfield is famous for a rescue in 2006 that followed a mine collapse. Two miners were trapped underground for weeks before emergency services reached them. A 'mine rescue' exhibit remembers the event. To adjust to the low light in this area, staff may suggest visitors enter from the left side.
For visitors with vertigo, staff also warn the viewing platform above the ruins is see-through.
A feast for the senses
Such tips are especially helpful when the centre is such a multisensory experience. Visitors can do more than view old mining machinery and props. Where bright yellow hand-shaped signs indicate it, they can also touch and interact with exhibits.
'Come and play with our history,' is the centre's slogan. Attractions include a:
- gold-panning activity, set at a lower, accessible height
- popular waterwheel exhibit where a push-button starts a highly visual and audible show
- mining operations installation where visitors feel the temperature shift in a dark, recreated 'working' environment. (A short documentary with audio will soon also include subtitles.)
- 'miner's change room' with background audio of miners chatting and interacting. The viewing window to this exhibit is at a lower height and accessible by ramp.
Future audio additions
The Heritage Centre intends to do more with audio, inspired by the pilot project. Working with a partner, it plans to introduce audio guides to enhance the storytelling around exhibits. A new website will host the audio guides. QR codes will link to these online resources and provide extra accessibility information.
'We hope this will continue to enhance the visitor experience both prior and during visits to Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre,' says Sikkema.
Benefits for visitors and staff
She says that the centre's attention to accessibility has brought more enjoyment to visitors. It has brought it community goodwill.
'We hear growing praise throughout our local visitor economy, with return visits from accessibility tour operators and school groups. They recognise our achievements in this space.'
Being accessible means the Heritage Centre can employ people looking for an accessible workplace. 'Inclusivity both enhances the visitor experience and benefits our team through direct, friendly interactions,' concludes Sikkema.
Learn more
Improving the accessibility of tourism destinations and experiences is a priority of THRIVE 2030, Australia's visitor economy strategy.
Under THRIVE 2030, the Austrade-led Accessible Tourism Mentoring Pilot Project in 2022-23 supported 110 tourism operators around Australia to improve accessibility and inclusion thanks to funding from the states, territories and Australian Government. Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre was one of 11 accessible tourism champions for the project.
The project led to the WELCOME Framework, our guide to help tourism businesses become more accessible and inclusive. Learn more about the WELCOME Framework.
