SYDNEY FESTIVAL’S WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WATERFALL SWING

Each school holidays I spend time researching what we can do with the kids and I am always scouring the newspapers to find something that is new and accessible.  BJ loves being out and about so we have visited just about all of Sydney’s “main attractions”, many, many times.

So, you can imagine my excitement when one of our facebook friends pointed out something I had missed in the Sydney Festival’s line up.  A wheelchair accessible Waterfall Swing – that definitely needed a test drive from our family, so we headed to Darling Harbour to give it a go.

The Waterfall Swing was designed by a team of artists, designers and engineers from New York.  Although a simple concept, it is brilliant, and judging by the people using it, it appeals to all age brackets.  Adults were queuing up to embrace a little of their inner child and it was lovely to see parents and children “playing” side-by-side.

The wheelchair swing is a platform swing which is installed as needed.  A ramp leads up to the swing making for easy access.

There are usually four “regular” swings in place but the platform swing can be put in place fairly quickly (we probably only waited 5-10 minutes on a Sunday morning last week) or you can book a time through the Sydney Festival which is encouraged, phone 02 8248 6500 or email [email protected]

The wheelchair is tied down and secure once in place.  BJ only got a bit of a water spray on him so you don’t need to worry about the wheelchair being wet for the day after it.  It is cool and refreshing.

Two people push the wheelchair swing gently and when it reaches a certain height the water starts.  It is so lovely swinging side-by-side with others.  The staff’s enthusiasm is lovely and makes the whole experience fantastic for the whole family.

I am usually too busy taking photos to give these things a go but even I couldn’t resist the Waterfall Swing.  I truly believe that swinging is one of those sensations that no-one should miss out on in life.   I was so excited when BJ had his first turn on a wheelchair swing because I don’t think anything can beat the feeling of freedom when you swing.  It is something I treasure from my childhood.  It fills me with memories of carefree days.  I love, love, love this attraction and guess what? It is free!

You need to get to Darling Harbour soon as this attraction closes 24 January but it is open 9am – 9pm daily.  Get down there and enjoy this great initiative by the Sydney Festival.  If we want to see more inclusive festival features in the future we need the ones that are put in place to be well used.

To find out more information about the wheelchair Waterfall Swing head to the official Sydney Festival website here.  There are weight restrictions which apply.

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