Vital mobility aid equipment to increase beach accessibility at popular spots Middleton Beach and Emu Point

New beach walkers and wheelchairs will improve beach access at two of Albany’s most popular beaches, with new equipment and purpose-built storage facilities now installed at Middleton Beach and Emu Point.

The City of Albany recently installed two all-terrain beach walkers and a new beach wheelchair, which are free to use.

One of the beach walkers will be kept in a purpose-built facility behind the Albany Surf Lifesaving Club at Middleton Beach, along with the existing Hippocampe wheelchair, and the second walker and new wheelchair will be available at Emu Point in a new storage container closer to the shoreline to help with better access.

Senior community development officer Ross Evans said the new equipment was part of the city’s goal to make Albany more inclusive.

“We want the beach to be accessible to all, and having both a wheelchair and a walker ticks the box for a lot of different people,” he said.

“People who just need a small amount of mobility aid, such as an elderly person or somebody who’s got a broken leg, they can use the walker to access the beach as well.”

He said the new equipment came highly anticipated by the local community.

“We all know and love Middleton Beach here as the jewel of the beaches in Albany, Emu Point as well is fantastic area, and opening up those beaches to more people just makes sense,” he said.

To hire the equipment, users can call the number listed on both storage units to book a time to hire out the equipment.

All the beach accessibility equipment is free to use and available 24/7.

Albany resident John May tested out the beach walker for the first time at Middleton Beach this week, and said the new mobility aid was a game changer.

“This would make a big difference to a lot of the elderly who aren’t too stable, and then that would give them a lot of confidence to join their family on the beach,” he said.

“I haven’t been able to take the dog down to the beach for quite some time because of the soft sand and being on dialysis, it takes a lot out of you, and you just haven’t got the get up and go anymore.

“I just can’t believe how many people it would help.”

For usage instructions and booking details, contact the Community Development team at commdevel@albany.wa.gov.au or call (08) 6820 3008.