WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY RECREATIONAL HOUSEBOAT DATA.

Wheels on Water Inc.

PREAMBLE   ~   FIRST TIMERS   ~   SOME ITEMS TO CONSIDER   ~   PHOTO GALLERY

BOATS WITH SHOWERS YOU CAN WHEEL INTO   ~   ABOUT MARINE TOILETS   ~   CONTACT US


 

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PREAMBLE

If relaxation is high on your holiday agenda then you're definitely on the right track here, for there is something oddly tranquil about placid water that puts cruising the Murray River aboard a modern, all mod cons, houseboat among the most relaxing and captivating diversions humankind can experience. The Murray's numerous, hire-drive-yourself, "Floating Condominium" offer a singularly "unique" form of holiday accommodation that's the equivalent of any modern, self-contained, two\three bedroom condominium that "travels".

For anyone confined to a wheelchair, or otherwise has difficulty walking, they are especially suited for, as a "houseboat traveller", you are not only freed from the daily unpacking and re-packing of suitcases, equipment and wheelchairs etc., you are likewise freed from, what are oftentimes, tiresome and repetitious vehicular transfers, as well as from any 'menu' and 'business hours' restrictions, associated with the likes of hotels, motels and restaurants, for accommodation and sustenance. There are also advantages for "The Blind" who only need to be 'oriented' once for the duration of the trip and, along the way, have easy access to the sounds and textures of the bush

... As ‘Captain’ of your mobile ‘condominium’, you can get-up when you like, go to bed when you like and make a cup of tea whenever you like. Medication, food and fluid intake, or "output", or any other diversion that takes your fancy, can be catered for on-demand, at any time of any day. You are the 'Captain' of your "home away from home" and you can alter your itinerary, by the minute, to suite your changing desires.

Hiring legislation requires that one among you must hold a current Motor Vehicle Drivers License and also limits boat speed to around about 8 Km/h: - This low speed results in a delay in the boat's response time. So! When changing the boat's direction, there's a delay of perhaps 15-20 seconds from the time you turn the "wheel", to the time the vessel starts to execute the change in direction you initiated. Likewise, boats do not have brakes, 'as-such'. You have to use reverse gear to pull-up!. So they do not behave like motors vehicles on dry land do. However, once you learn to adjust to their unconventional behaviour, and the slow speed allows you to do that, they are not difficult to control, even from a wheelchair. And! they're all supplied with "river charts" to guide you on your way; - Naturally, not all houseboats are wheelchair friendly, many have narrow passages and doorways. But, at numerous locations along The Murray, there are boats in which wheelchairs can access the salon, cabins, 'bathroom' plus front & rear decks, with no greater obstacle than a sliding door track or two.

The BIG problem is shower access: - The overwhelming majority of houseboats use precast shower cubicles, which have a 'hip-bath' style base incorporating a 20-odd cm high wall to isolate the shower's wet-floor from the general floor area. Anyone who can stand-transfer or swing onto a chair already placed in the shower alcove, may find these boats perfectly suitable. Likewise, if you only plan a short trip and can manage without taking a shower at-all, they'll be OK! 
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BUT IF, on the other hand, you require to be wheeled into a shower. Then suitable boats are few and far between. WOW is aware of eight only boats, spread over three only locations in SA, and we will gladly listen to anyone who thinks otherwise.

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WOW cruises photo gallery


 
"Parsnip" all saddled-up
and ready to roll!


 
Loading up. In preparation
for a "WOW" of a cruise.


Some foundation members of
WOW Inc., press-ganged into
posing for the Press - 1982.


 
A three boat flotilla from
the heydays of the 80's.


 
"Paul" with everything under
control.


 
Author trying to look
like a coxswain.


 
The "Princess" bypasses
us on Wigley Reach.


"Badger" trying to look
like a fisherman. If only he 
could bait his own hooks.


A real fisherman (you can tell
by his fish-oil stained apparel)
.
That's a Murray Cod he's got
there. It was returned to the
river soon afterwards.


 
"Badger" with his most
memorable catch. A Carp
with a tonne of roe inside it.

LUNCH!!!!!!....


 
'Wheelies' and crew
ready to "shove off!!!!"


 
Clutter in the saloon on
a rare 'rainy day'.


How could she ever forget
the signal for
"Turning to port"???


 
Flash? - Who's gonna
FLASH ? ....


That loveable old rascal and
well known Renmark Identity;
Ted [TallTales] Francis - RIP. 
On his way to The Rufus.


 
 
"Going up!" - in Lock 7
'Rufus River'.


 
Communing with the
locals.


Decisions; Decisions!
What'll it be! We stick to "VB" or
we try a couple of vodkas and
a Port; maybe?


You could get tired of waking-up
to
views like this EVERY morning.
IF YOU TRIED HARD ENOUGH!

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HOUSEBOATS WITH SHOWERS YOU CAN WHEEL INTO: ... in alphabetic order:-

"CREDENCE" & "CLEARWATER" ; two houseboats, as yet uninspected, but advertised as having wheelchair access and catering for disabled passengers, operated by Lois & Klaus Horn out of Kia Marina, East bank of the Murray 8km upstream from Mannum SA. 
Ph: 08 8251 1879 - or - via Kia Marina houseboat & boat hire; - These boats feature queen sized bedrooms and ducted air conditioning throughout. The shower facilities are reported to be wheelchair accessible as is the toilet, which has the approved handrails that allow paraplegics to self transfer.

"ECSTASY", "SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE" & "TOO IRRESISTIBLE" ; 3 x Green and Gold Co. boats, operated by James and Ruth Copeland, Waikerie riverfront, adjacent to the town oval;
Ph: 08 8541 2001 - or - Green & Gold houseboats Homepage; - Very good 10/12 berth boats. W/chair access to 4 of the 5 cabins also the marine-toilet. - Ramp supplied for sunken shower (3cm). - You supply your own bed linen.- Quadriplegics who have used these boats rate them as very good. 

"INDULGENCE" ; another houseboat moored at Kia Marina, East bank of the Murray 8-km upstream from Mannum SA, operated by Ann & Bruce McCall and advertised as either having "wheelchair access" or "disabled facilities";
Ph: 08 8352 1277 - or - via Kia Marina houseboat & boat hire; - This vessel is reported to be suitable for disabled and/or is wheelchair accessible. - It has roomy sleeping areas and, though the shower room doorway is reported to be a bit 'snug', shower chairs can be wheeled into one shower alcove, albeit with the aid of an able-bodied helper.

"TAKEME2" ; 8-berth houseboat with three spacious double/single bed cabins for six, plus day/night style sleeping accommodation for the remainder. The spacious 'wheelchair friendly' cabins have wheelchair accessible en-suite toilet/shower facilities with one or more being spacious enough to accommodate a 'lifter'. - Notwithstanding that an on-board 'lifter' may become available in the future, passengers currently need to supply their own lifter/slings plus shower/commode chair.
Moored at Mannum SA. and operated by " Takme2 Houseboat Holidays" of 32 Randell Street, Mannum, SA 5238: - 
Bookings: 1800 007 636 - or - Ph: 08 8569 1020 - Mobile: 0428 246 910.

"VACATIONER" ; Located on the "Lower Murray". Was last heard of at MURRAY BRIDGE Marina, but has been "For Sale" a number of times, and is difficult to keep track-of. - Last known contact was via Phone numbers cited hereunder:
Ph: 08 8332 6468 or 08 8339 3969
A 12-berth boat designed for disabled passengers by able-bodied experts. - When last seen it had a 'domestic style' flush toilet. Shower/toilet area was very roomy with a totally flat floor.

"BIG RIVER RAMBLER" ; For anyone not yet ready to captain their own houseboat, a wheelchair friendly passenger vessel operating out of Renmark SA; offers 2-hour cruises. The standard trip is an afternoon tea cruise where a Devonshire Tea (scones, jam & cream) is cooked freshly on the boat, while travelling, and taken on the bank during a 15-min stopover on an island, where a range of birds, kangaroos and possibly emus are likely to be observed.
Booking information via Renmark River Cruises

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MILDURA BASED "PURE INDULGENCE": - one of the "All Seasons" fleet of houseboats, based at Mildura, is a very spacious houseboat catering for the disabled with fully accessible shower/toilet facilities. 
See: http://www.allseasonshouseboats.com.au/html/fleet/pureindulgence.html  

 

These boats invariably have a 240-volt AC generator aboard, which you start-up and use, as and when you require it.

 

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Other River Murray Houseboat Web Sites - (no suitability recommendation offered)


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FOR FIRST-TIMERS; - For wheelchair manoeuvrability, you do need the space of the big 10/12-berth boats. However, hire rates vary constantly. Rising dramatically during school and public holidays; - So it's best to get a current quote direct from the operators. ~ And tell them that you're bringing wheelchairs on board, so they'll know to prepare a shower hose, ramps and wide gangplank, etc., for you, ~ and they'll move beds etc. to suit your needs.
Brochures on these boats are available from the South Australian Tourist Bureau. - However, you'll probably have to ask for them by name. Because the staff at the Bureau have no reliable knowledge as to wheelchair suitability, and will usually provide you with an abundance of brochures, but only of the large fleet operators.

Roughly speaking, hire rates vary from $1,400 to $2,400 per week. Depending on boat you choose, time of year etc.. So, with a full boatload, you do have to budget for something like $250 to $350 per person for boat hire, diesel & food, for a Monday to Friday cruise, and proportionally more for a full-week. Weekend hire is available, and oftentimes commences 10-a.m. Friday, ending at 9-a.m. on Monday.

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"A word about the River;" - Operators on the Lower Murray stress that since they're only 60-min from ADELAIDE, it's cheaper, quicker and easier to move passengers and luggage to/from their boats. Many hirees, with scant knowledge of the River, see this as a huge advantage. There are, however, other things to consider: - The same closeness makes it popular with Adelaide's shack and water-ski fraternity. So it's a busier river with shack development encroaching on much of the bank: Moreover, the Murray below Mannum passes through a landscape that is devoid of any major windbreak features. It flows between pastures, levees and lagoons, and is dauntingly wide in places. It was in this section, near Mannum, that rough weather forced Captain Sturt to lay-up for three days during his original exploration in 1830: - Indeed, it would be tragic. If anyone experiencing adverse weather on this stretch, allowed it to put them off 'house-boating' in the future: - You must go upstream from Purnong (20-odd Km above Mannum), to be in the narrower more sheltered sections of the River. Where there's greater option for balmy evenings among gum trees, and where the river is well below the surrounding mallee plain, which protects you from the prevailing winds. Houseboats present a large above-water surface in comparison to what they have under-water. So wind can dramatically effects their speed and handling: - Yes! It can take an extra 90-odd minutes to drive 'all-the-way' to The Riverland, but the River is more sheltered and intimate 'up-there'; and if that's the way you'd like it then 'up-there' is where you'll have to go. - As hire generally commences around 2-p.m. on the first day, the extra driving time, should not really present any problem.

Nonetheless, whomever you talk to!!! - You'll find that "Bottom Enders" (ostensibly Murray-ians who dwell downstream of Morgan) rarely have anything nice to say about the "Top End". - And vice-versa also holds true: - - Suffice to say!!! - "Bottom End" boat trips are SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from "Top End" ones: - And! To ascertain which you prefer, you may have to try both!!!

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SOME ITEMS TO CONSIDER:

  • Binoculars. - For sighting navigation markers and bird watching.
  • Camera WITH flash unit and/or Video Camera where possible.
  • Torch light, spare batteries.
  • Pre-recorded music and appropriate player/ radio. - For social groups, perhaps a book of 'bush ballads' (sing-a-longs often better if choir able to do some pre-cruise rehearsing).
  • Live musician if possible. - An accordion or harmonica player is always a BIG hit around a campfire.
  • Bow Saw - very useful if houseboat happens to get tangled in any troublesome branches etc.
  • Fishing Tackle and bait.
  • Gardening gloves or similar, for handling wet ropes and anchor etc. Wet ropes are very rough on unprotected skin.
  • Playing cards, 'Trivia Pursuit', 'Scrabble', Backgammon, Chess etc., as required.
  • Warm clothing for evenings under the stars. Parkas/ Rugs/ Ugg-boots/ Leg-warmers and Beanies, all make campfires by the river much more enjoyable. Particularly for persons with impaired circulation.

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NB - MARINE TOILETS:
- To comply with 'Effluent' legislation, almost all houseboats use these toilets. They're mostly barrel-shaped, similar in height to domestic toilets but 'fatter' around the 'waist'. Anyone who can walk can use them the same as they use an ordinary domestic toilet. Except when you "flush", instead of a push-button there are two pedals to be pressed in sequence. However, WOW cannot guarantee that all 'shower chairs' will fit over all marine toilets - some do, and some don't. Experience has shown that for anyone who HAS to "toilet" in this manner. It's always safer to pack a bucket that will fit under your commode/shower chair. The rectangular plastic 'mop bucket' designed for "sponge mops", and sold in most variety stores, has proven to be most suitable. Removing the wire handle and replacing it with a length of cord can make it easier to pack. - Prior to usage, "line" the bucket with a medium-to-large sized "kitchen-tidy" style "liner", and "line" the "liner" with an incontinence sheet or two. Then, after the event, the whole lot can be conveniently sealed and innocuously disposed of with the rest of the boat's hard garbage.

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NOTE: When organising for a 'social group', as distinct from a 'family group': - To minimise losses and for ease of handling. All personal luggage, wheelchairs, cushions and other aids should be labelled with the owner's name, address and\or ward number if applicable,- also the boat's name, and\or number, especially when more than one boat is involved.

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FOR ANY FURTHER DETAILS, OR ASSISTANCE WITH MENUS/FOOD SUPPLY OR TRANSPORT

Contact W. O. W. Inc. ---- e-mail: - pereilly@esc.net.au

HelpkA5/990207

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