Normanville is the largest coastal settlement along the Fleurieu Coast and offers a 7.3 kilometre long beach. Especially pleasing is the accessibility facilities provided at the beach for those visiting with a disability. Our visit was just for the day but after doing quite a bit of beach hopping we discovered Normanville Beach offers the best accessibility on the Fleurieu Coast.
Normanville Beach accessibility, Fleurieu Peninsula
We are so lucky here in Australia to have access to so many stunning beaches and I’m proud to see that beach access continues to improve.
At Normanville Beach visitors may borrow (for free) a Sandcruiser beach wheelchair (suitable for teens and adults) or a Sandpiper beach wheelchair suitable for younger children.
These are available from the Normanville Surf Life Saving Club during patrol hours or by special arrangement at other times. Bookings for the beach wheelchairs can be made by calling Club Captain, Graham on 0408 836 908.
A gentle ramp leads from the car park and surf club down to the sand.
Normanville Beach doesn’t have beach matting so there is a portion of soft sand that needs to be traversed before getting to the more compact sand. Once you’ve done that you are free to explore or use the beach wheelchairs in the shallow water between the flags.
Three accessible parking spaces are available beside the Normanville Life Saving Club.
A stand-alone unisex accessible bathroom is provided in the toilet block opposite the surf club. The one thing missing at Normanville Beach is a Changing Places bathroom with hoist for those needing suitable change facilities and access to a hoist for transferring to the beach wheelchairs. Hopefully that may be a consideration in any future planning.
A cafe/kiosk serving snacks and drinks is located under the surf club. We visited on a hot day and we couldn’t find a table in the shade so we headed back into Normanville to a cafe.
The food at Cafe on Bungala lived up to the online reviews and it was pleasing to find step-free dining. Many buildings in smaller towns are historic and therefore don’t offer good access.
Once inside the cafe there is good circulation space and the food as I mentioned was delicious. An all day breakfast menu is always a winner with me. I was also impressed by the gluten free and vegetarian options on the menu. Many items were labelled with gluten free option (GFO) available.
The combination of a gorgeous beach and a cafe with delicious food made Normanville a favourite town on our Fleurieu Peninsula excursion.
If you would like more accessible suggestions in South Australia, you can catch up on our reviews as follows.
