Victorians with accessibility needs have even more choice when it comes to planning a holiday with the recent launch of All Seasons Houseboats’ Elevate Luxury – a 6-bedroom super-luxury accessible houseboat.
3 December 2024
On International Day of People with a Disability, we’re celebrating an award-winning all abilities addition to Victoria’s tourism market.
Mildura-based Elevate Luxury boasts a raft of features that makes cruising easier for passengers with mobility or accessibility needs, and includes Australia’s first houseboat lift connecting the two levels.
Other supported accessibility features include wider corridors, adjustable height benches in the kitchen area and other adaptations to assist people with mobility support needs.
After only 6 months in service , the houseboat recently won a prestigious Victorian Tourism Award in the Unique Accommodation category.
After attending a tourism conference in 2022, Sean and Jodie Bromley from All Seasons realised there was a growing need for accessible tourism options. After asking their customers for feedback, the overwhelming response was that many had friends or family members who could not join them on the existing houseboats due to a lack of accessibility features.
Designing a truly accessible houseboat wasn’t all plain sailing though, and the team faced challenges like ensuring there was adequate space and turning circles for wheelchair users, while still maintaining luxury and functionality.
Lisa and Brian Fitzpatrick have been enjoying family holidays with All Seasons Houseboats for the past 10 years, and cannot wait to experience the new houseboat for themselves.
“Having a family member with limited mobility and reliant on the use of a wheelchair, we are extremely excited to experience All Seasons’ new fully accessible boat Elevate Luxury.”
“Having a fully equipped accessible bathroom, a lift and a living area that is spacious and with ample room for a wheelchair to easily move about and access everything, both indoor and outdoor providing total inclusion is a complete game changer”.
Established in 2004 with a single small houseboat, family-owned All Seasons Houseboats has grown to be one of the largest tourism operators in Mildura with a fleet of 15 vessels, employing 30 staff. The company worked with local boat builder Baldwin Boats to construct the new vessel.
The realisation of this innovative project was assisted by a grant from the Victorian Government’s Regional Tourism Investment Fund, which enabled All Seasons to design and build an accessible houseboat that would have been unattainable after the impacts of COVID and the 2022 floods.
The funding has also enabled All Seasons Houseboats to create two new full-time positions, while Baldwin Boats added three full-time roles to complete the initial stages of the build.
The Victorian Government has identified inclusive and accessible tourism as a priority , and is a key requirement of all funding programs.
The Victorian Government is working to ensure Victoria’s tourism experiences are accessible for people of all abilities and have made this a key guiding principle of all tourism funding programs.
Further information is available through the Tourism Accessibility Resource Kit.
