What you said: new DDA pontoon

Late last year, Sunshine Coast Council floated plans with the community for an all abilities pontoon design for Charles Clarke Park, Mooloolaba.

The goal is for the final design to allow people of all abilities, including those using wheelchairs and mobility aids, to transition into their non-motorised craft unassisted or with the help of their carer.

Closing the loop

Thank you to those who took time to provide feedback on the proposal.

There was strong community support for a DDA compliant pontoon as it will help improve access to our beautiful Sunshine Coast waterways for people of all abilities.

However, there were some concerns raised about Charles Clarke Park as the preferred location.

We will be conducting further investigations to make sure we get the location right.

This will include investigations at Charles Clarke Park and other potential locations across the Sunshine Coast.

What was proposed?

The draft pontoon design aims to be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Australian Standards for access and mobility.

Carparking and facilities in the park would also be upgraded to be DDA compliant.

The project includes a new two-metre-wide pathway from the accessible carparks leading to the large pontoon.

Once on the pontoon, kayaks would be placed in a specialised launcher. The launcher would incorporate design elements such as slide stops to allow people with a range of different abilities to manually enter and exit the launcher.

A tiered seat would allow transition from wheelchair sitting height to watercraft level. This tiered seat is planned to include an extendable sliding bench that would allow seated access over the launcher for users to slip into the kayak easily.

There would also be a lockable wheelchair and kayak roller storage area on the pontoon.

To read the full community engagement report visit, Have your say website.