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16 | InTouch WINTER 2023 madly busy though. Little Bay Patisserie is the best place for coffee and a chocolate croissant – the staff were amazing, setting up the only indoor table for us before we had even time to put our order in (both mornings we were there). Freycinet National Park offers a couple of short accessible walks. One takes you on a walkway around the cliff face overlooking Wineglass Bay and guarded by Tourville Lighthouse. The scenery here is stunning. The other walk takes you to a small platform overlooking a gorgeous beach. You do need to buy a park pass before entering any of the national parks in Tasmania and there are a variety of accessible walks across the island. The highlight of our trip was a 2-hour penguin tour. While not officially advertised as wheelchair accessible, the staff at Bicheno Penguin Tours made sure my needs were accommodated and they made the tour as easy as possible. We followed the tour bus to the private property they use to view the penguins, and I was given preferential viewing treatment throughout the whole tour, and felt very much like a VIP. Of course, the penguins were just awesome. Hobart is famous for its waterfront, historic buildings, and fabulous Saturday market. We stayed at the Moss Hotel, a bit on the pricey side but understandably so with a location right on Salamanca Place. The hotel is made up of two accommodation buildings and what makes this hotel unique is that in one building every room is wheelchair accessible. Typical hotel-room size with a large bathroom complete with underfloor heating. Our only complaint was the lighting which was low and there was only 1 small window. The lift was also on the small side – a wheelchair could not turn around in it – although you could fit a wheelchair and a person in it easily enough. Staff were friendly and helpful, the location brilliant and there were eateries and bars right on the doorstep, although this could make it noisy at night. The Hobart Botanic Gardens, with its clearly signposted accessible route, is a lovely spot for a meander, and MONA, a controversial and thought- provoking art gallery/museum is definitely worth a visit, although you may leave feeling totally bemused and/or confused. Fully accessible, the site is a 30-minute drive (or accessible bus ride) out of town. There is a ferry but access is limited as the Museum’s jetty is not yet suitable for wheelchairs. The not-so-good bits Prior to departure, we spent the night at the Novotel Auckland Airport. The accessible room at the hotel is interesting to say the least, with a tiny bathroom that has inaccessible features such as a wall right in front of the toilet, and a glass partition in the shower, making transferring difficult or nearly impossible. As always, we managed but there was a lot of swearing and grumbling, and I don’t know how some would manage on their own. (note: I did give some feedback on this) Disappointingly, many of Tasmania’s gorgeous historic towns such as Oatlands and Richmond do not provide adequate wheelchair access, and many shops and cafes are off-limits, which becomes a little frustrating at times. I do realise historic buildings can pose challenges to the provision of access but it is possible. And some towns, such as Penguin, have little going for them (except perhaps the giant penguin on the main street) despite what the tourist sites say. The biggest problem we encountered was bed height. Without the elevate function on my wheelchair we would have been in trouble as the beds were so high. On talking to a couple of the accommodation providers on check-out, they offered solutions to make the bed lower (or higher). I realise it all comes down to asking the right questions when doing my research, and my list is ever-growing as needs change. Tripping around Tasmania was a lot of fun. While accessibility was variable, the scenery not as spectacular as New Zealand and the wine not as good (in our biased? view), we loved the laid-back feel of the island and the friendliness of the locals, had memorable experiences, and enjoyed great food and the quirkiness of some of our accommodation choices. Michelle Smith TRIPPING AROUND TASMANIA Suspension bridge at Cataract Gorge, Launceston.