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                    Getting around Melbourne

                    A person who is visually impaired and companion walking in the city
                    Whatever you are doing in Melbourne – working, living, dining, shopping, travelling or enjoying entertainment – this section will help you get around easily.

                    ​​​​​​​​​Below, you’ll find accessible public transport and taxi options in our city, mobility maps, accessible street signs, toilets and beacon technology.​

                    Accessible transport

                    There are a range of options available for people with a disability. 

                    Find out more about:

                    Free recharge points for electric scooters and wheelchairs

                    Recharge your electric scooter or wheelchair for free at Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street.

                    Recharge points are also at our libraries: City Library, East Melbourne Library, Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre, Boyd Community Centre (Southbank Library), Library at The Dock and narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services.​​

                    You can also recharge your battery at Travellers Aid​ sites at Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations.

                    Travellers Aid

                    Travellers Aid can assist travellers with special requirements to travel independently so they can fully participate in their life activities. It has two central city locations at Southern Cross Station and Flinders Street Station.

                    Services are accessible, available to everyone and include disability support, companion services, mobility equipment hire and more. 

                    Accessible street signs

                    City of Melbourne has worked with Vision Australia, VicRoads and Health Science Planning Consultants to install 80 tactile street signs at major city intersections. 

                    Swanston Street tactile street sign

                    The signs are designed to assist residents and visitors who are blind or have vision impairments to move around the city safely. Features of the signs include high contrast colours, braille labels indicating street names, and sign-plates attached to signposts at eye-level.

                    The tactile street signs can be found at every intersection in the central city area, from Flinders Street up to La Trobe Street, and from Spencer Street to Spring Street (with the exception of Little Bourke Street and Little Lonsdale Street). Tactile street signs have also been installed at the intersections of Gisborne and Albert streets and Gisborne Street and Victoria Parade in East Melbourne.

                    Mobility equipment hire

                    If you have limited mobility, getting around the streets of Melbourne can be made easier by hiring equipment such as scooters or walking sticks or, if you have children, prams. 

                    You can hire mobility and access equipment from Travellers Aid at Flinders Street station or Southern Cross station. You can book online or by calling 03 9068 8187.

                    Changing Places and accessible toilets

                    Changing Places

                    Changing Places are public toilets with full-sized change tables, ceiling hoists and peninsula toilets to meet the needs of people with severe and profound disabilities.

                    Changing Places enable many people with high support needs to enjoy day-to-day activities that many of us take for granted, such as going to work, school or university, playing in the park, or attending cultural, sporting, or social and family events.

                    ​There are 14 Changing Places facilities in central Melbourne:

                    1. Collins Place, Located on the eastern end of the ground floor in the corridor behind Alignment Studio, 25-55 Collins Street, Melbourne

                    2. Crown Melbourne, retail Metropol Precinct on Level 1, in the public amenities between the retail precinct and the food court, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank

                    3. Federation Square, The Atrium, Swanston Street, Melbourne

                    4. Hamer Hall, Level 3 near South Lift Arts and Southbank Precincts, 100 St Kilda Road, Southbank

                    5. Melbourne Arena (formerly Hisense Arena), Facility beside the Information Desk, 2 Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne

                    6. Melbourne Cricket Ground, Gate 3, near National Sports Museum, Brunton Avenue, Richmond

                    7. Melbourne Zoo, Elliot Avenue, Parkville. Facility near Elliot Avenue Entrance. Open during Zoo operating hours

                    8. narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services at 141 Therry Street Melbourne​

                    9. Rod Laver Arena, Level 2, Concourse between Doors 6 and 7, Batman Avenue, Melbourne

                    10. Royal Botanic Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Birdwood Ave, Melbourne, facility off Birdwood Avenue (opposite the Shrine), on the ground level just opposite the Visitor Centre and Café

                    11. Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton

                    12. RMIT University, Building 8, Level 4, 360 Swanston Street, Melbourne

                    13. RMIT University, Building 94, Level 3, 23-27 Cardigan Street, Carlton

                    14. RMIT University, Building 57, Level 2, 53 Lygon Street, Carlton​

                    For more information, see Changing Places.

                    Accessible Adult Change with Hoist 

                    Free accessible toilets that include an adult change table with hoist are available at: 
                    • Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street
                    • Community Hub at The Dock, level one, 912 Collins Street, Docklands
                    • Travellers Aid at Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations​

                    Accessible public t​oilets

                    The National Public Toilet Map – an Australian Government project – lists public toilets all around Australia. 

                    You can locate accessible toilet facilities in the City of Melbourne by searching by location, or browsing the map to see facilities nearby.


                    ​Beacon technology

                    We are working with Guide Dogs Victoria on beacon technology. This will help people with low vision or blindness. It is a tool to complement other mobility aids such as a cane or guide dog. 

                    New GPS virtual beacons send audio messages about intersections, public transport, potential obstacles and disruptions in the area to users’ phones. 

                    The beacons work with the either the BlindSquare app or the free BlindSquare Event app. BlindSquare is available in over 25 languages. 

                    Beacon locations

                    The GPS virtual beacons along Bourke Street and Swanston Street send audio messages about intersections, public transport, potential obstacles and disruptions in the area to users’ phones. 

                    The virtual beacons add to Melbourne’s network of beacons that Guide Dogs Victoria has successfully implemented at all City Loop train stations, Richmond and Footscray railway stations, Melbourne Zoo, District Docklands Shopping Centre, and the Grand Prix.

                    BlindSquare FAQs

                    What is BlindSquare?

                    BlindSquare is a smartphone app that makes use of the latest features available in smartphones to aid those who are blind or have low vision with their orientation and mobility. 

                    BlindSquare determines the user’s location using the iOS-device’s GPS capabilities and looks up information about the environment on Foursquare and Open Street Map. BlindSquare can track the user’s destination and periodically announce the distance and direction while traveling. BlindSquare also possesses filters letting the user limit the amount of spoken information.

                    Although VoiceOver can be used to navigate through the app, BlindSquare has its own high quality Acapela voices in many different languages to announce information about the environment. This means users can always hear all the information they need, even when they do not touch the screen of their device.

                    Through the app's voice settings, users can select in what language they want to hear the messages. Languages available are English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Russian, Estonian, Polish, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, Japanese, Greek, Romanian, Croatian, Hungarian, Korean, and Bulgarian.

                    What is BlindSquare Event?

                    BlindSquare Event is a free version of the paid BlindSquare app. For every site that is set up by Guide Dogs Victoria, an 'Event' is created around that site. This makes available for free all the features of the paid version of BlindSquare at the location.

                    If BlindSquare Event is opened at a location that is not set up as a designated event, it will operate as a demo of BlindSquare. BlindSquare Event will simulate a predefined location and users will be able to try most of the features available in the paid version of BlindSquare as if they really were at the simulated location. You can download the BlindSquare Event app from the App Store.

                    Do I need BlindSquare Event when I already own the paid version?

                    ​If you have already purchased the full version of BlindSquare, you can use your paid version anywhere. BlindSquare Event will not offer any added functionality that has not been incorporated into the paid version of BlindSquare.

                    What smartphones can I use BlindSquare on?

                    ​Currently, BlindSquare works on the iPhone and iPad only. Unfortunately, versions for Android, Windows, and Symbian phones are not available.

                    What iPhone models can I use BlindSquare on?

                    ​All models of the iPhone starting with the iPhone 4 support BlindSquare. However, later iPhone models have better GPS receivers, so the information provided by BlindSquare is more reliable on later models. 

                    The GPS receiver of the iPhone 3GS is not accurate enough to let BlindSquare announce street crossings as you walk. 

                    To use BlindSquare, iOS 5 or later must be installed on your device.

                    Does BlindSquare require an internet connection?

                    ​Since BlindSquare looks up information on your location and your surroundings on Foursquare and Open Street Map, your device must be connected to the internet via either data or wi-fi.

                    More information

                    Visit BlindSquare for further information on using the app, including more FAQs and a user guide.

                    BlindSquare user guide

                    Downloading the app

                    On your Apple device, go to the App Store and search ‘Blindsquare’.

                    Download either the paid version or the free version called ‘BlindSq Event.’

                    Note: Both versions will work with the beacon technology. Use the paid version if you need to use BlindSquare as a full GPS Australia wide. 

                    What are the recommended phone settings for this technology?

                    • Turn on Bluetooth in your phone settings.
                    • Turn on mobile data or connect to an available wi-fi.
                    • In the 'Location services' in your phone, privacy settings need to be on.
                    • Turn up your phone's speaker volume.
                    • In the BlindSquare app, turn your filters to ‘None’. This will stop the app reading out all the other information (such as what’s around you) so you can only hear the messages that have been tailored to the area you are in.

                    How do I use the technology?

                    • Open the app on your device.
                    • For BlindSquare Event users, a welcome message will pop up letting you know if you are in an ‘Event’ zone. If not, the app will go into a demo mode.
                    • Simply hold your phone out in front of you as you move through the area. 
                    • If you come across a beacon, the phone will automatically read out the corresponding message, depending on which way you are pointing the phone.
                    • Close down the app when you are done otherwise it will continue to run in the background.

                    How do I have to position my device when using BlindSquare?

                    ​As you move through an area, hold your device in your hand flat out in front of you with the screen facing upwards. If your device is in a horizontal position, BlindSquare will announce directions correctly when its top edge is pointing in your direction of travel. The top edge is located opposite the edge with the charging connector jack. If you carry your device in a vertical position, make sure its back points in your direction of travel.

                    Which accessories do I need in order to use BlindSquare?

                    Although it can be helpful to use some accessories with BlindSquare, you do not require any accessories at all to benefit from using BlindSquare. Just make sure you are able to hear your device’s speaker well.

                    If you are using BlindSquare in noisy environments, you might require headphones. Consider purchasing bone conduction headphones (or similar) to better hear BlindSquare announcements. These headphones do not cover your ears, and you will be able to hear well all the sounds that are important when travelling, such as traffic and echoes. For this reason, these headphones are safer to use than regular headphones.

                    More information

                    Visit BlindSquare for further information on using the app, including more FAQs and a user guide.

                    More information

                    Parking for people with disability​: find and navigate to parking spaces reserved for people with disability and find out about the parking permits available.​

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