Inspired by Queensland’s Year of Accessible Tourism 2023-2024 we jumped on board and made some changes including greater mobility support and wheelchair access along with a suite of interpretive resources for visitors who are neurodiverse, hearing, and vision impaired.

Despite The Crystal Caves notching up 40 years of operation in 2024, we recognise that today’s perception of an accessible tourism business has changed.

Knowing this, we set about securing the support of local wheelchair users and their carers whose experiences and advice paved the way for a series of structural changes to promote ease of access and visibility.

From learning that every person’s wheelchair and ability is different to navigating the tight spots within the Caves, the practical advice we received was invaluable, and we are so grateful to every one of them for helping us achieve our goal of a more user-friendly and inclusive experience.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen congratulated us on making our experience more accessible to visitors.

“Accessible tourism is about allowing everyone to participate in a tourism experience with choice and confidence,” he said.

“It is also about communicating effectively to the consumer through so they can easily determine whether a venue will be accessible and it is great to see The Crystal Caves has introduced an accessibility page to achieve that.”

In a snapshot, our new range of accessibility resources:
• Detailed guidebook for hearing impaired.
• Audio guide for the vision impaired created by Vacayit
• A social script for neurodiverse visitors that includes a detailed map and option for early access to a self-guided tour.
• Removal of physical tight spots in the museum to create smooth navigation for wheelchair users.
• Introduction of an accessibility page website featuring an accessibility widget.