Making the beach more accessible

4 Feb 2016: I haven't been to the beach in a long time, probably getting close to a decade. This isn't because I haven't had had the opportunity. It's because walking on the soft, uneven, and shifting sand is difficult for me, and my knees definitely wouldn't thank me for it later.

So when I saw an article about beach access mats being used to allow greater access to the beach, it piqued my interest.

Thanks to a crowd funded campaign started by Liberal MP David Speirs, and funds donated by the Rotary Club of Brighton, Lions Club of Hallet Cove and City of Holdfast Bay Council. The surf lifesaving club in the suburb of Seacliff in South Australia will be rolling out a beach mat during their patrols, on weekends and public holidays until March.

The mat is intended to allow wheelchairs, walking frames and prams access over the soft sand, normally unpassable, and onto the hard sand near the water. I think it will be of even greater use than that. It will help anyone with mobility issues get down to the water.

It's a good move by Seacliff.

Apart from getting sunburnt, which always seems to happen to me no matter how much sunscreen I apply, I enjoyed going to the beach when I was a child. I'm glad that efforts are being made to make it a more accessible place for those that haven't been able to enjoy it before.

If it's successful there, who knows they may be applied to more beaches.

Original Article - Beach mat rolled out