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OVERVIEW
- Business Overview
- Bookings
- Emergency Management
- Communications
- Other Information
- Guide Dog and Service Animals
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GENERAL
- Pre-arrival, arrival and reception
- Car Park and Access amenities
- Entry
- Lifts
- Internal Spaces
- Public areas
- Displays, exhibits, commentary and live performances
- External Paths
- Steps
- Public Toilets/Adult change facilities
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TOUR OPERATORS
- Tour/Transport Services
- Guides
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ATTRACTIONS
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COMMON AREAS
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FOOD AND DRINK
- Dining Spaces
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ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
- Adventure activities
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EVENTS
- Events
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Overview
General
Tour/Transport
Attractions
Common Areas
Food & Drink
Adventure
Events
Business Overview
The business has the following products/services available
Tour/Transport
Attraction
Food and Drink
Adventure
Event
Our business caters for the following disability types:
Blind or low vision
Deaf or low hearing
Limited mobility
Food allergies or intolerances
Cognitive or people on the Autism Spectrum
Bookings
The business offers the following methods for bookings and enquiries:
Phone
Webportal
Our forms have high contract boxes and submit boxes
Emergency Management
Emergency and evacuation procedures are explained on arrival
Exit access is free and clear at all times
We ensure exit access is free and clear at all times by:
Doors at meeting places and vehicles and balloon basket entry/exit points are the same. Staff are at entry/exit doors to meet/greet/assist..
There is an emergency refuge that has an intercommunication system linked and has sufficient fire resistance levels.
Exits including stairwells, have bright edges used on the steps.
The business identifies guests who need additional assistance should an emergency occur by:
We speak to the customer on the phone and follow up with email at point of booking and clearly leave relevant notes for all pilots/crew to see.
The procedure for assisting guests who need assisted rescue is:
Reassure, check and monitor guest, confirm safe landing zone with crew access for support vehicles, assist guest into proper landing position and notify ground crew of expected assistance needs including contacting emergency services if needed, use equipment (steps, extra crew) to disembark guest, provide first aid if needed.
Guests with disabilities are noted in the guest log book for emergency and evacuation purposes
Communications
Our business offers the following alternative communication methods
Plain English
Not specified
There is easy to read signage and information (e.g. menus and emergency information)
QR codes and greeting boards on easels at check in and to note where breakfast buffet is.
Other Information
For bookings made onsite, the ticket booth/counter/box office is accessible for people using a wheelchair
Guide Dog and Service Animals
The business provides the following services for services animals:
N/A as outlined above
Pre-arrival, arrival and reception
The business has the following in place to support guests during pre-arrival, arrival and reception
There is a reception/public entryway.
Seating available at reception
A lower counter at reception/ticket office
A tablet with text to voice or pen and paper at reception to aid in communication
Lighting in the reception area is even and glare free
All check in is online so customers can magnify and/or use own devices.
Information and maps are available in written form
A familiarisation tour
Additional Information from the business
The following steps are in place to ensure that people with fatigue related to their disability are not disadvantaged by long wait times:
Seating is available in meeting venues, in vehicles, and support available both on flight (by leaning against soft side of basket or pre requesting a stool) and on landing as/when necessary.
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
As a company our staff are empathetic and personable. We communicate with our guests to assess and respond to needs prior, during and following their experiences with us and aim to cater for needs case by case. We are not set up to cater for everyone, however we continue to look at ways to make ballooning safely accessible for as many as possible. We are open to suggestions!
Car Park and Access amenities
The business has the following Car Park and Access amenities
Designated disabled parking bays
Level or ramped access from the car park to the entrance
The accessible entrance is clearly signed from the parking bay
The public transport services available are:
On website and provided verbally to people when we speak to them on the phone.
Kerb ramps are in place where a pavement or walkway needs to be crossed
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
Due to the nature of ballooning we often work in open spaces with rough/uneven terrain. Once we leave our meeting places an hour and a half before sunrise, there are no toilet facilities until we return for breakfast approximately 3 hours later.
Entry
The business has the following amenities/systems in place for entry
A drop off point close to the entrance
A path of access to the building is slip resistance and even
A path of access to the building is clear of obstruction
Self opening entry doors or fitted with a self closer
There a clear space of at least 1500mm x 1500mm in front of all doors.
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
All three of our meeting and breakfast locations have facilities that cater for wheelchairs - from their parking bays, access into buildings, ability to move furniture easily to accommodate a wheelchair at a table, through to toilet facilities. They have their own accessibility procedures in place that we work with. It is the transfers and flights themselves where we are currently unable to cater for wheelchair uses. Something we are working on.
Lifts
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
All the venues we use for our morning meeting place and breakfast are on the first floor.
Internal Spaces
Tableware/glassware contrast with the table surface or table cloth
Seating is available for guests unable to stand for long periods
All corridors greater than 900mm
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
Please speak to our staff about suitability of hot air ballooning with children in general. It is sensory and the elements of being contained in a basket for a relatively long time and the sound and warmth of the burners above may not suit everyone.
Public areas
The public areas have the following amenities in place
Seating
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
Seating is provided in our meeting and breakfast venues. Due to the outdoor nature of ballooning there is reasonable time outdoors with limited seating options, although we can arrange to have a stool and/or vehicles available to sit in for a while. Participants need to be able to stand (or lean against the basket rim) for up to an hour or more while in the air.
Displays, exhibits, commentary and live performances
For displays, exhibits, commentary and live performances the following amenities are in place
Seating
Wheelchair accessible spaces/seating
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
At present our breakfast venues can accommodate wheelchairs, however our balloon baskets can not. We are working on changing this into the future.
External Paths
External paths of travel have the following amenities are in place
Pathways are wider than 900mm
We largely work in open terrain so not one venue. Some have steps, others not.
As above
Steps
Steps have the following amenities are in place
There are steps.
All steps or staircases have enclosed risers
Where steps are present are there three steps or less
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
We provide steps to assist passengers into balloons and our crew are trained to help.
Public Toilets/Adult change facilities
Public Toilets/Adult change facilities have the following amenities are in place
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
We have toilet facilities (including one for wheelchair access) at our meeting points. We are not able to offer toilet facilities once we leave for launch site/balloon flights and there are no facilities for approx. 3 hours, prior to us returning to breakfast.
Tour/Transport Services
The tour/transport services have the following facilities/amenities in place
Buses/Coaches
None at present vehicles have wheelchair lifts or ramps
None at present vehicles have low floors with ramped entry
The maximum wheelchair capacity available in the fleet is:
None at present
Additional Information from the business
In addition, the following further information can assist guests:
Not specified
Guides
Use of clear/simple English
There is a audio description of surroundings
This tour stops at attractions/accommodation/food and beverage/retail spaces that are not operated by this business. For information relating to these individual properties please follow the weblink provided
Dome/Farmer's Home Hotel, Northam, WA - https://www.farmershomehotel.com.au/ Hotel Windsor, Melbourne, VIC - https://www.thehotelwindsor.com.au/ Rydges Geelong, VIC - https://www.rydges.com/accommodation/melbourne-vic/geelong/
Dining Spaces
The dining spaces have the following facilities/amenities in place
The entrance has level access
The doorway is at least 850mm wide
There is level access through the dining area
Chairs are moveable to allow for wheelchairs to be seated at the tables
There are areas of full lighting
There are Plain English menus
There is an accessible toilet
Our business caters for the following dietary requirements
Sugar free (diabetic)
Gluten free (celiac)
Lactose free (dairy free)
Low fat and fibre with no gastric content
Nut free
Vegetarian
Vegan
There are procedures in place to avoid cross-contamination of food products
We work with other companies to provide breakfast, so this varies a little.
Adventure activities
The adventure activities have the following facilities/amenities in place
Our adventure activities cater for people with a disability
Additional Information from the business
The following activities are available to people with a disability:
Hot air ballooning is more 'soft adventure' and once in the air a very gentle experience. We can cater for people who are vision or hearing impaired and generally situate these people next to our pilot to ensure they benefit through using other senses...listening to stories, descriptions of the experience, feeling the warmth of burners above etc. We cater for older people and children over the age of 6.
We listen to individual needs and best cater if/when it is safe to do so and in the best interest of all involved in the experience.
The equipment utilised to make the activities available are:
We use steps and experienced staff and ensure communication is clear prior, during and following experience.
The following limitations apply to participation, including those activities that are not available to people with a disability:
Due to the nature of ballooning and the sometimes rough and uneven terrain we launch and land from, the need to climb in and out of the basket and sometimes a bit of a bump on landing hot air ballooning is not for everyone. Some people will also not like being confined in a basket with other people for up to an hour or more in the air. It is best to talk through needs with one of our staff to see what might be possible.
Events
Events have the following facilities/amenities in place
The event is outdoors
In addition, the following further information can assist guests
Our 'events' constitute flying regattas with multiple balloons flying in the air or glowing after inflation on the ground, that might be of interest to the public to watch or follow. If/when we hold larger events we will put many more accessible features in place.