Parliamentary Triangle - Canberra

Pronounced “Get-About-Able”, a social enterprise focused on improving travel and leisure options for people with disabilities. All profits are re-invested to empower people with disabilities to participate in travel and leisure activities, and to help the travel and leisure sector be more inclusive for people with disabilities.

We empower the 20% of the population with mobility, vision, hearing and other assistance needs, their families, friends and supporters to find and share information about accessible travel and leisure activities around the world.

Getaboutable.com offers a unique platform to promote inclusive businesses around the globe while encouraging and supporting them to tap into the  ‘Purple Dollar’. It is a powerful and useful tool to connect the inclusive travel and leisure sector with increasing demand from people with disabilities who don’t know what is accessible in any given location, not to mention how to organise it.

Public transport (buses and trams), including Canberra’s hop-on hop-off tourism circuit, are wheelchair accessible and have both visual and auditory stop information. Unfortunately, Canberra’s public transport doesn’t go to some big tourist draw cards such as the Mount Ainslie lookout, Telstra Tower, the National Zoo and Aquarium, the Arboretum and attractions along the Cotter Road such as Mount Stromlo Observatory and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

There is a Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Service (WATS) that participates in the Taxi Subsidy Scheme, including accepting interstate vouchers.

I use support workers from HireUp and I’ve used the HireUp platform to book support workers in other cities so I’m sure the same could be done for people needing support when visiting Canberra. Mobility Matters and Total Mobility rent and repair (as well as sell) mobility equipment.

Accommodation options in the area: Hotel Kurrajong, Little National Hotel, The Brassey Hotel, Hotel Realm, Burbury Hotel and Apartments, Rydges Capitol Hill, Hyatt Hotel Canberra. 

The National Triangle, which is referred to as the Parliamentary Triangle, is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The National Triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings, and Constitution Avenues. Buildings within the National Triangle have been located and designed intentionally for visual effects, and those of national significance are popular tourist attractions.

Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the center of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city center and Parliamentary Triangle was dammed.

The lake is located in the approximate geographic center of the city and is the centerpiece of the capital in accordance with Griffin's original designs. Numerous important institutions, such as the National Gallery, National Museum, National Library, Australian National University, and the High Court were built on its shores, and Parliament House is a short distance away. Its surroundings, consisting mainly of parklands, are popular with recreational users, particularly in the warmer months.

Though swimming in the lake is uncommon, it is used for a wide variety of other activities, such as rowing, fishing, and sailing.

Make your way down to the National Gallery of Australia, where my favorite exhibits are the Didgeridoo and Aboriginal Art collections, Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles, Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series and the outdoor Sculpture Garden.

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre and its programs are administered within the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

At Questacon, we strive to promote greater understanding and awareness of science and technology within the community. We're committed to making that experience fun, interactive, and relevant.

Find out about the history of Questacon.

The origins of the National Library of Australia go back to the early years after Australian Federation in 1901, when the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library served both Federal Parliament and the nation. In 1927 the Library was moved from Melbourne to Canberra with the relocation of Parliament.

The area just south of Lake Burley Griffin from between Kings Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue bridges to New Parliament House. Start by taking a tour of New Parliament House, walk/roll down to take a tour of Old Parliament House and visit the Museum of Australian Democracy (stopping to smell the roses at the Old Parliament House Rose Garden).

The wheelchair accessible entrance to Old Parliament House is on the left side under the main staircase entrance. Reception/tour guides are very used to giving instructions on how to get around to see the key parts the building.