I’m back at the beach today speaking with a surf club volunteer about the beach access mat. He’s there shovelling off sand and relocating it over the edge of the mat so people don’t trip on it. He’s sweeping sand off the cement to keep it safe.

Surf club volunteers

I thought having a beach mat was a pretty straightforward exercise. Set it up and leave it. Every beach needs to be accessible in a perfect world.

But…

• Sand moves
• Mats are less stable when not on a flat surface
• Wind blows
• Water flows
• People walking on it throughout the day

Beachgoers love the beach mat

Sensationally popular, beach goers love the beach mat here. They are grateful not to need to walk uphill in the hot soft sand. Some take trolleys with all their gear on it…or children.

Accessibility

When they first opened the beach mat to the public a local lady took her walking frame to cut the cord so to speak. She made her way down the beach mat and was thrilled. She hadn’t been that close to the surf in years.

My scooter on the beach mat

Aaah you’ve read down to here. I am so blessed. Now it’s my scooters turn. Is it accessible for my little mobility scooter? Tomorrow is D day. They are cutting off som additional matting so I can try out the beach mat. What if I get stuck? What if the wheels don’t grip and I’m spinning away going nowhere? They say not to worry they have plenty of volunteers here to make sure I’m OK.

So a big thank you to all those volunteers out there. Thanks surf club people for keeping the dream alive. Thanks for going above and beyond to let me see if this portable mobility scooter can tackle a beach access mat.

Dezzie 2024