03/06/2026
Every year, the Empowered Liveability team takes time away from the office to pause, reconnect, and invest in personal wellness, self-care, and growth both as individuals and as a team.
This year, our team headed to beautiful Bayside Geelong for a few days dedicated to wellness, reflection and connection. Guided by the incredible Jo Surkitt and Chrissie Stobbs, the team was led through sound baths, personality deep dives, group activities, and some truly healing and honest conversations.
It was the kind of experience that reminds us how important it is to step away from the busyness of daily work and make space for ourselves and each other.
In a sector that is so often focused on supporting others, it is equally important to ensure the people doing that work are supported, grounded, and given opportunities to reflect and grow.
As a team, we have varying physical needs – full time wheelchair users, occasional mobility aids users, which means that accessibility is never an afterthought for us. It is something we notice, something we value, and something we understand can completely shape whether an experience feels genuinely inclusive.
This is where Bayside Geelong stepped in and they did so in the most accessible and accommodating way any hotel we have experienced so far has been able to.
One of their accessible rooms featured not only an adjustable bed, but also a ceiling hoist. Their indoor heated pool was fitted with a pool hoist, ensuring that the benefits of relaxation and recreation were available to more people. The accessible bathrooms were thoughtfully laid out, with features positioned in ways that made them genuinely easy to reach and use.
Even the in-room tea and coffee station included a kettle in a kettle cradle, allowing for safer and more independent use. To some, that may seem like a small detail. To someone with limited strength, dexterity or mobility, it can be the difference between needing assistance and enjoying a simple cup of tea independently.
The hallways were wide, the doorways were spacious, and the doors – particularly to the accessible rooms – were easy to open. These are the kinds of design choices that often go unnoticed by those who do not need them, but they make an enormous difference to those who do.
Accessibility is sometimes treated like a checklist or a buzzword, but true accessibility is intentional. It is thoughtful. It considers the real, practical needs of people and recognises that everyone has the right to enjoy time away, to relax, to connect, and to feel included.
For the Empowered Liveability team, our time at Bayside Geelong was not only a chance to focus on wellness and team growth. It was also a reminder of what genuine inclusion can look like when accessibility is built into an experience with care.
Because accessibility is not just about access to buildings.
It is about access to life.
A huge thank you to the team at Quality Hotel Bayside Geelong for getting accessibility so right. You've set a benchmark we hope more hotels take note of.
Nicole Makin- Doherty Goro Gupta Samantha Prior Bronwen Gourley
