Written by Melanie Hawkes – PDA’s WA Director
I went to Sydney for my brother’s wedding in November 2025. My airfares and hotel were booked back in June, so I could relax and wait for my trip to happen. Or so I thought.
This was my first trip on a plane with my boyfriend James, and his first time to Sydney (my fourth trip there, I think). I was relaxed, but James was getting stressed leading up to the trip. He’s autistic, and I was putting him in a situation he’d never been in before. It was bound to overwhelm him at some stage. My support worker Gen also came with us.
We wrote lists of what to pack, and triple checked them before zipping our suitcases shut. My mum dropped us all off at the airport (six minutes is how quick you have to be to not be charged. When you have 3 people, 3 suitcases, and a wheelchair to offload, there should be some leniency. But Mum was quick enough to get out for free!).
James wanted to be there super early. We ignored the prior messages from Qantas about online check-in and made our way to the special assistance desk. We handed over our luggage, got tags on my wheelchair and answered 100 questions about its size and weight.
By the time we got through security (and my pat down), ate lunch, and went to the toilet, it was time to be at the gate. I’d told Qantas when I booked in June that I’d need the Eagle Lift to get to my seat. They had it, but brought it out at the last minute. As I drove underneath it to be hoisted up out of my chair, they had trouble making it wide enough to fit easily. It should have been a red flag.
They brought me into the plane and then realised the sides weren’t able to come in again. They were stuck in a wide position. This would not do to get me onto my seat as it needed to be adjustable to go between the rows of seats in economy. I was hanging around in the doorway of the plane while they figured out a plan B. The staff were getting quite stressed and embarrassed by this malfunction of the lift. The plane had already been delayed an hour, so what was another few minutes? I was happy to hang around in the doorway.
I asked if they had an aisle chair nearby. Up and down on the lift still worked, so I suggested they go find one. They did, so they lowered me on to that, removed the Eagle Lift from the plane, and wheeled me down to my seat. James and another crew member managed to lift me on to my seat. Just a bit of drama to start our holiday. I hoped it wasn’t an omen for what was to come.
We had an enjoyable flight, and my wheelchair made it in one piece. It was after 11pm when we lined up for a taxi. We didn’t have to wait too long before a maxi taxi came. 22 minutes later we were at our hotel, but it cost $80! I couldn’t believe how expensive it was. My interstate voucher has a value of $25, so I had to pay $55. I was paying cash but the driver didn’t offer a discount. We took a while to get the correct change, which he didn’t appreciate, and he took off in a huff. I found out later that the NSW Government pays drivers $27.50 every time they take a local wheelchair user (a lift fee). But not when you’re from interstate, so I had to bear that cost. That’s why it was expensive for a short trip. Why isn’t it the same across Australia? If only Ubers took wheelchairs in specialised vehicles…
We checked into the Adge Hotel in Surry Hills. But when we got to our room, there was no hoist. I’d booked Independent Living Specialists to deliver a full hoist with pivot frame that day. We made a call to reception but they didn’t know anything about it. James was able to lift me from my chair into bed, but we’d need it in the morning to get me up safely. We set our alarm for 8am and fell asleep.
We called ILS just after 8am but they didn’t open until 9am. We finally had a call from John at the warehouse around 10am, He was furious that the delivery man tasked with dropping off my hoist the day before didn’t do it, nor told anyone that he hadn’t. So John was going to come himself, but not until after midday. This was the first day of our holiday. I didn’t want to spend most of it in bed. Plus I was hungry. The meal on the plane hadn’t filled me up.
So I decided to skip a shower, and get dressed in bed. Gen and James were able to top and tail me, and lifted me back into my chair. It sure beat waiting for the hoist to arrive.
John called us before 12:30pm to say he was there. We had already left and were on our way to Circular Quay to show James the iconic sites. I forgot how hilly Sydney was, and how steep ramps can be. It was lucky that James rides on the back of my chair as he was able to hold my shoulders while going down slopes. My balance isn’t great, so it was nice having James support me. The alternative is to tilt my chair back every time I went down steep ramps. That would take too long each time and I’d be late everywhere. Even with my footplates elevated, I still scraped the bottom on some ramps.
After lunch at Circular Quay, we did an accessible tour of the Sydney Opera House. It was nice to see behind the scenes, and the roof tiles up close. Our guide was knowledgeable and courteous of our needs.
When we arrived back at the hotel that night, the hoist was indeed there, and fit under the bed with the blocks I’d brought. But the carpet was very plush, and took a lot of strength to push it in our room. Why do accessible hotel rooms have carpet? It would make life easier if they had a hard floor covering instead, with the option of a rug if people required it.
The next morning we got up and had a shower. It was easier to leave the hoist in one position and bring the chairs to me. The hoist plus my weight made it tricky to move with me in it over the thick carpet. Of course we had to move it from the bed, but once clear, we left it in place. I was lowered onto my shower chair (I brought my own) and had a nice shower (although there was a large leak coming from the hose. While rinsing my hair it was washing my face at the same time!).
When it came time to transfer from the shower chair to my wheelchair, we hoisted up to the maximum height (which wasn’t very high). After changing chairs beneath me, I was lowered. We detached the sling, and pressed the up button. Nothing happened. It wouldn’t go up to make space for me to reverse. It would only go down.
I managed to back away, and plugged the hoist in, thinking it had a flat battery. Ten minutes later we tried again, but no change. At least I’d had a shower and got dressed and was in my chair before it broke down. I called John from the day before and told him about the issue. He said he’d send someone and report back later today. We left it at reception and headed for Taronga Zoo.
I’d forgotten how hilly the zoo was. In some places there were gentle slopes, but steep slopes in other locations. I’m glad I’m in a power wheelchair as manual chair users would have trouble. The zoo does have access maps, so is possible to plan your trip.
One of their lifts was out of service, so to get back up from one area, we had to go back all the way we’d come. Everyone else could go straight up the escalator instead. The views from some parts of the zoo are spectacular, and we saw plenty of animals.
John called me back to say they sent someone to check my hoist, but is in working order. They couldn’t find a fault with it, apparently. Very strange.
The bus drivers we had that day were kind enough to let us on without paying. I informed the drivers that we have electric ramps on our buses in Perth. They sounded annoyed that they had to fold the ramp out manually. I was impressed there was a seatbelt for wheelchair passengers to use, and I probably should have. Those roads are so bumpy and have I mentioned how hilly Sydney is? My wheelchair slid a few times.
The next day we had the same issue with the hoist not going up again. Instead of calling them, I asked Gen to lower it all the way to the bottom. Sure enough, it then went up again. I’ve never had this issue with a hoist before. We made sure we never went to the maximum height after that, and didn’t have another problem with it.
The wedding was held at the National Art School in Darlinghurst. It was beautiful. A real party. But no accessible toilet. After 5 glasses of champagne, it was almost midnight, so I decided to call it a night. I went back to the hotel to use our accessible toilet. It was a shame that I couldn’t stay on, and party until the sun came up like my brother did with half the guests. But I still had fun.
On our last full day there, we decided to go to Manly on the ferry in the afternoon. But first, lunch. Some locals raved about a ramen shop nearby that we were keen to try. We ran out with 30 minutes before their kitchen closed, only to find they had a big step out the front. We were so looking forward to ramen, but had to settle for burgers down the road as they had access. It wasn’t fair.
The Manly ferry was nice, once I got over the shock of the gangway. It was steep. Going up is easier for me than down, so I got on without much trouble. I was hoping we’d come back to a different pier; one where it was less steep. My heart sank when we weren’t.
“Wait until everyone else is off, please,” the ferry worker told me. I was preoccupied with the steepness of the slope that I failed to notice how close the fence was to the end of the gangway. I wasn’t going to be able to turn as soon as I was down and I would probably hit the fence.
As soon as everyone else was off, they moved the gangway so that it was no longer on a 90° angle with the ferry. It looked very dangerous being on a more acute angle. They reassured me that it was safe enough for me to go down. I tilted my chair back, James jumped on the back of my chair so he could hold on to my shoulders and keep my balance, and we went down very carefully with my heart in my chest. It felt like a miracle that I made it off the ferry in one piece, and didn’t crash into that fence.
I was so stressed about getting off that ferry safely that I forgot to get a video or a photo. How they can justify that it meets disability standards is beyond my belief. I recently travelled to Rottnest by ferry, and also had issues with the steep ramp getting off.
As much as I enjoyed my time away, I looked forward to coming home. But it wasn’t before more dramas with the Eagle Lift breaking down at Sydney airport before boarding our flight. Luckily, they had a spare, and it was brought out to assist me all the way to my seat on the plane.
Sydney is a very pretty city, but for anyone in a wheelchair, it’s a tough place to navigate. There’s no place like home, and I was very grateful to be back in my own bed, with equipment that worked, cheaper taxis, and in an easier city to navigate on six wheels.
