Accessible Beaches Australia

What Accessible Beaches Australia does

Accessible Beaches Australia (ABA) is a registered Australian charity and Public Benevolent Institution, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Abbotsford, Victoria. The organization advocates for inclusive beach access for people with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, and elderly Australians with mobility limitations. Its primary product is the Beach Directory (accessiblebeaches.com), a searchable online platform documenting accessible beaches across all Australian states and territories, featuring a proprietary 1-5 star accessibility rating system that evaluates features including beach matting, beach wheelchairs, accessible parking, pathways, bathrooms, Changing Places facilities, showers, and shade areas.

The organization operates as a community-led nonprofit with a small team of 7 employees, relying on donations, volunteer support, and strategic partnerships with local councils and Surf Life Saving Clubs across Australia. Its revenue model is based entirely on public donations under its Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, with all services provided free of charge to end users. Notable institutional achievements include the Australian-first 'Australia's Most Accessible Beach Pilot' conducted in partnership with Frankston City Council — a three-month fully staffed accessible beach program modeled on the Handiplage beach in Nice, France.

ABA's go-to-market is advocacy and community-led, coordinating with government bodies and surf clubs to expand physical beach accessibility infrastructure while maintaining a curated digital directory. The organization holds ABN 49 640 476 786 and is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Its competitive position rests on its curated content library, institutional partnerships, and brand recognition as Australia's primary resource for beach accessibility information.

Name

Accessible Beaches Australia

Legal name

Accessible Beaches Australia

Website

https://accessiblebeaches.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Accessible Beaches Australia is a registered charity that operates Australia's most comprehensive beach accessibility directory and advocates for inclusive beach experiences for people with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, and elderly Australians across all states and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy and Accessible Tourism Information

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKAEAL

Special Needs & Accessible Travel Services (Local DMC)

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Local Tour Operators & Destination Services (DMCs)

Keywords

• Accessible beach directory
• Disability advocacy services
• Beach accessibility information
• Disability inclusion charity
• Accessible tourism resources

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations from the public to support advocacy efforts and beach accessibility initiatives. Donations enable the organization to advocate on behalf of people with disabilities.
2. Volunteering: Volunteers support beach accessibility programs and assist people with disabilities at participating beaches.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Accessible Beaches Australia is a registered charity that maintains Australia's most comprehensive searchable directory of accessible beaches, providing detailed accessibility ratings and information on features such as beach matting, beach wheelchairs, accessible parking, accessible bathrooms, Changing Places facilities, accessible showers, lead-up pathways, and shaded areas. The organization also runs Australia's Most Accessible Beach Pilot program with Frankston City Council and advocates for inclusive beach experiences for people with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, and elderly Australians with mobility limitations.

Product overview

Accessible Beaches Australia operates as a single unified platform providing a searchable beach directory that enables people with disabilities to find and evaluate accessible beaches across Australia. The core product is the Beach Directory, which serves as a comprehensive listing of beaches with detailed accessibility features including beach matting, beach wheelchairs, accessible parking, bathrooms, showers, and Changing Places facilities. Each beach listing includes an accessibility star rating, location details, and photographs. The company also runs advocacy campaigns and volunteer programs to improve beach accessibility nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beach Directory A searchable online directory listing accessible beaches across Australia, featuring detailed accessibility ratings (1-5 stars), facility information, and location-specific features such as beach matting, beach wheelchairs, accessible parking, accessible bathrooms, Changing Places facilities, accessible showers, lead-up pathways, and shaded areas. Each beach listing includes accessibility ratings, location details, and photographs. It is intended for people with physical disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, elderly people with mobility limitations, and families with disabled children.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful pilot of Australia's Most Accessible Beach in partnership with Frankston City Council, demonstrating feasibility of fully staffed accessible beach model inspired by Handiplage in Nice, France

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Frankston City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Accessible Beaches Australia to run Australia's Most Accessible Beach Pilot - a three-month fully staffed accessible beach program. Inspired by Handiplage beach in Nice, France, this was an Australian-first initiative that demonstrated the feasibility of comprehensive beach accessibility.
• Eurobodalla Shire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal council responsible for accessible beaches in their region including Bar Beach Narooma and Narooma Surf Beach.
• Various Australian Surf Life Saving Clubs (SLSCs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Surf Life Saving Clubs across Australia to provide accessible beach facilities, beach wheelchairs, and staffed support at various beaches. Clubs include Bondi SLSC, Waverley Council facilities, and numerous coastal SLSCs.
• Waverley CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil provides accessible facilities at Bondi Beach including beach wheelchairs for adults and children, beach matting, Changing Places facility, and accessible parking. Free booking available through Waverley Council.
• Volunteering Gold CoastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteering Gold Coast provides volunteer support at Surfers Paradise accessible beach program, providing assistance to people with disabilities at the beach.
• City of JoondalupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free beach wheelchair hire at Sorrento Beach and Hillarys Beach through the City's Facilities Booking Office. The harbour has been developed with universal access floating pontoon, accessible fishing platform, and beach matting.
• Various Australian CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with councils across Australia including City of Clarence (Tasmania), City of Hobart, Sunshine Coast Council, Gold Coast City Council, Livingstone Shire Council, Bundaberg Regional Council, City of Bunbury, City of Mandurah, City of Cockburn, City of Rockingham, City of Mandurah, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Douglas Shire Council, Cairns Regional Council, Hobsons Bay Council, Bayside City Council, Port Phillip Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire, Kingston City Council, and others.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sage Traveling: Sage Traveling provides accessible travel planning, guides, and tours focused on wheelchair users and travelers with mobility needs. Like ABA, it consolidates accessibility-specific travel information into curated resources for disabled travelers.
• Wheelchair Travel (WheelchairTravel.org): WheelchairTravel.org is a community-driven travel resource for wheelchair users, with destination accessibility reviews and tips. It is structurally similar to ABA's crowd-sourced beach directory, though covering broader destinations.
• Tourism for All (UK): Tourism for All is a UK charity promoting accessible tourism through information, advocacy, and ratings of venues. It is functionally similar to ABA in being a charity-led accessibility information provider for travel destinations.
• AccessibleGO: AccessibleGO is an accessible travel booking and information platform serving travelers with disabilities. It overlaps with ABA's mission of surfacing accessibility information for trip planning, though it is global and broader than beaches.
• GetAboutable: GetAboutable is an Australian accessibility platform reviewing venues and experiences for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. It directly overlaps with ABA's directory function of curating accessible places and is one of the closest home-market comparables.
• Handiplage (Nice, France): Handiplage is the original French staffed, accessible beach program in Nice that directly inspired Accessible Beaches Australia's Frankston pilot. It is the conceptual and operational model ABA explicitly benchmarks against, making it the closest direct peer in mission and format.

Others

• Surf Life Saving Australia: Surf Life Saving Australia is the national peak body for coastal safety and works with clubs that provide beach wheelchairs and matting. It is a key partner ecosystem for ABA rather than a competitor, but is highly relevant given the SLSC partnerships underpinning ABA's directory.

Broad incumbents

• Tourism Australia: Tourism Australia is the national tourism marketing body and increasingly promotes accessibility through campaigns like 'Australia for Everyone'. It is a broad incumbent in the same end market (accessible Australian travel) and a potential partner or threat to ABA's directory positioning.

Emerging players

• Access Israel: Access Israel is a non-profit promoting accessibility across public life, including tourism and leisure. It overlaps with ABA's advocacy-and-information model for accessibility, but operates in Israel and across multiple sectors rather than beaches specifically.

Regional players

• Spinal Life Australia: Spinal Life Australia is a national disability advocacy and service organization supporting Australians with spinal cord injuries, including accessible leisure and travel resources. It overlaps with ABA's audience and advocacy mission in the Australian disability ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/accessiblebeach
• Facebookfacebook.com/accessiblebeaches
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/accessible-beaches
• Instagraminstagram.com/accessible_beaches

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Accessible Beaches Australia