Cocky Guides Australia

5.0
21 reviews
Tour
Traveller listening to a Koala talk at Oakvale Wildlife Park
Traveller and tour leader petting a Bamboo Shark at Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters
Gallery showing 2 of 2 images

About

Cocky Guides is a not-for-profit social enterprise specialising in small-group, multi-sensory adventures for blind and low-vision travellers.

Since 2018, hundreds of blind and low-vision travellers have explored more than 70 destinations with Cocky Guides, enjoying accessible experiences built around discovery, social connection and experiencing places through more than just sight.

Their adventures build confidence and capacity in new environments while creating opportunities to connect with others. They welcome travellers who are active and confident with their personal mobility and may use a long cane, guide dog or companion as a sighted guide.

Experienced Cocky Guides Trip Leaders use verbal orientation, description and guiding techniques to support between one and four travellers. Where environments require more technical navigation, individual assistance can be provided for short periods.

Rather than simply making existing tours accessible, Cocky Guides creates experiences with blind and low-vision travellers in mind. We seek opportunities to touch, hear, smell, taste and connect with the people, stories and landscapes that make each destination unique.

Sensory adventures depart regularly across NSW, including Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Snowy Mountains, with multi-day adventures exploring destinations across Australia.

Come and experience Australia differently — through connection, curiosity and all the senses.

What's Available

8 features
Accessible Tourism Cognitive/Autism

Available Tours

Blue Mountains Sunset Tour

Blue Mountains Sunset Tour

Experience the Blue Mountains beyond the view on a relaxed late-departure adventure designed for blind and low-vision travellers. Travelling in a small group with Cocky Guides and Autopia Tours, you'll discover this spectacular World Heritage-listed landscape through its sounds, scents, textures, stories and changing atmosphere as afternoon turns to evening. Feel the temperature shift as you leave Sydney behind, breathe in the distinctive scent of eucalyptus forest, listen for native birdlife and wildlife, and experience the scale and character of ancient sandstone country. Along the way, your Trip Leader will provide rich verbal description and orientation, helping bring the landscape, wildlife and iconic landmarks to life. Departing later in the day means avoiding the busiest sightseeing periods while experiencing the Blue Mountains when wildlife becomes more active and the bush takes on a different character. Explore a mountain village, search for wild kangaroos, walk through native forest, experience the sound and spray of Wentworth Falls, and discover the stories and formations of the Jamison Valley and Three Sisters. As the day draws to a close, share the changing atmosphere of sunset across the mountains before returning to Sydney in the evening.

Reviews & Ratings

Gary O'Donoghue

Gary O'Donoghue

Google review

Buck's thoughtful assistance and knowledge of sydney's landmarks and history, helped make it a great day. On the ferry to Manly, he explained where the Sydney Harbour Bridge and other points of interest were in relation to each other. We spent a wonderful couple of hours swimming at Manly Beach: it's not every day you get a trained life guard like Buck, all to yourself. The fish and chips by the beach were fantastic, and we finished out the day with a relaxing drink back at Sydney's oldest pub, The Fortune of War. All in all, it was a great day, and we'd recommend getting in touch with Cocky Guides for a friendly, professional and bespoke experience.

Get in touch

Phone

1300 657 640

Email

hello@cockyguides.com.au

Website

Visit website

Where you'll be

2-12 Bourke Road

Alexandria NSW 2015

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