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Recreation

There are a range of different recreation activities that you can get involved in as part of your community.

The Outdoors Queensland website includes an Outdoor Directory that includes a range of organisations and operators that provide different types of outdoor activities in Queensland. Providers that offer climbing and abseiling, aerosports, boating and sailing, canoeing and kayaking, diving, bushwalking, rafting, horse riding, orienteering and other types of recreation activities are listed in the directory. The Outdoor Directory also provides information about outdoor recreation facilities, such as Kindilan, an education and conference centre owned by Girl Guides Queensland; and Wildeco, a complex in the Sunshine Coast hinterland; that offer different types of adventure group programs.

You can find out about Active Recreation Centres and Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres across Queensland, as well as about leisure activities and camping in Queensland.

Recreation programs for people with a disability

  • Swimming Queensland offers free Aquatic Participation Fun Days to give people with a disability the opportunity to enjoy fun, safe water activities. They also provide information sessions for teachers and others who work with student swimmers with disability.
  • Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association provides information about sports, recreation and fitness programs for people with a range of disabilities. It offers a recUnlimited program that gives members a chance to try a range of regular activities. You can download a fact sheet about the program. Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association also provides advice about recreation opportunities in local communities through its LinkUp service. You can email mailbox@sportingwheelies.org.au or contact your nearest office for details.
  • MontroseAccess provides facilities and recreation programs for children and young adults with physical disabilities who become clients of the organisation. For information about services, contact MontroseAccess on (07) 3379 9200 or email information@montroseaccess.org.au.
  • Deaf Sports and Recreation Queensland (DSRQ) is affiliated with Deaf social and sporting clubs in Queensland. For more information, visit the DSRQ website or email dsrq@dsrq.org.au.
  • Police-Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC) in Queensland encourage participation in sporting, recreation, culture and welfare programs. There are clubs around Queensland that offer affordable activities for all ages. You can find programs, including sport and recreation programs, and locate your local club, on the PCYC website.
  • Riding for the Disabled (RDA) provides sporting and therapeutic equestrian programs for people with a disability and volunteers in centres across Queensland. Information about programs that are offered, and how you can get involved, is available on the RDA website. You can contact the RDA on (07) 3888 5277 or email admin@rdaq.org.au.
  • Sailability Queensland provides sailing opportunities for people with a disability. Contact details for clubs around the state are available on the Sailability Queensland website.
  • Girl Guides encourages and welcomes girls of all abilities to participate in its inclusive or disability-specific programs that help girls develop life skills, confidence, respect for the environment and a sense of community. You can phone (07) 3252 3061 or email state@guidesqld.org to discuss your interests and needs. Programs are offered throughout Queensland.
  • Scouts Queensland encourages the development of all young people through self-education programs that focus on initiative, teamwork and cooperation, and community service and spirit. Call 1800 072 688 (1800 SCOUT) or email qldhq@qsc.scoutsqld.com.au for details.
  • The Duke of Edinburgh Award promotes challenge, adventure and achievement for young people aged 14 to 25. The Queensland Government has information about The Duke of Edinburgh Award, and there is also a national website for the program. Contact the State Award Office on phone 1800 177 338 (free call) or (07) 3008 8780, or email qld.award.office@communities.qld.gov.au for more information.

Who else can I contact?

You might already know about a recreation activity that you enjoy, or you might be interested in trying a new activity. Community organisations may coordinate recreation programs that suit your interests and needs.

The Cerebral Palsy League (CPL), for example, offers a recreation and leisure program at Capalaba in South-East Queensland. You can watch a video about the CPL's recreation and leisure program on its YouTube channel.

The Community Living Program, which is overseen by the Community Living Association in Brisbane, also coordinates an adventure holiday group. Some of its members have shared their experiences about participating in the adventure holiday group with Disability Online.

You can contact a community organisation directly to find out about programs they offer, and for suggestions about other ways you can get involved.

Adventure holidays

Sunrise at Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland, with the brilliance of the sun offset by trees and rolling valleys in the distance.

Learning new skills and enjoying the great outdoors are benefits of being involved in an adventure holiday group, as some of its members in south-east Queensland share. More…

Equipment to help you participate

LifeTec Queensland provides information about specialised equipment that is available to help people participate in a range of recreation and leisure activities. It has a recreation and leisure fact sheet, plus fact sheets about other topics related to assistive technology. You can call LifeTec Queensland on 1300 885 886 (toll free) or phone (07) 3552 9000, or email mail@lifetec.org.au for more information.

Do you love walking?

If you love walking, you might be interested in discovering some of the Great Walks of Queensland, which include easier and more challenging walks that take in diverse and dramatic scenery ranging from rainforests to beaches and clear lagoons.

Inclusive providers

Do you coordinate a recreation program that is inclusive of people with a disability, or are you interested in finding out how you can welcome and support people with a disability as part of a recreation program? If you are interested in making a program more inclusive, you can contact your local Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association office for advice. You can also let them know about inclusive recreation services, so they can keep members informed about programs that are available in their community.

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0)
Last updated:
9 January 2013

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