BEACH ACCESS MAT TRIAL - BELLERIVE BEACH
Council has installed a beach access mat at Bellerive Beach as a summer six-week trial and we want to hear what you think of it! The survey results will be collected until 6 February 2024 and collated into a report to council and shared back with the community. Click here to read the trial feedback or look in the document folder.
Summary of the community feedback:
- Good response from the community with 213 survey responses provided over the summer trial. The Beach Party event was a great way to test the mat with hundreds of users on one day without any damage or incidents.
- Strong support for the trial with 94% saying they like the mat.
- 69% tell us it has improved access with 52% saying it has greatly improved their access.
- People used the mat to access the beach for a wide variety of reasons.
- Most comments were highly positive and in support of the mat and supporting it staying beyond the trial.
- Many saw no downside or negatives however there are some useful constructive critical comments to help improve this and future installations that can improve the experience for users.
- A high level of interest in seeing a beach wheelchair being made available
- ...read more in the full consultation report here
The survey will stay open during the extended trial period for ongoing feedback to understand more about the mat and how it performs in different conditions.
Your feedback will help us with understanding how this trial went. It will also help with planning for the future as we continue to strive to make our places and spaces accessible and inclusive for all our community. We have a Coastal Access Strategy consultation coming soon and these results have already been useful in planning for this broader project.
The extended survey stayed open until 4 September 2025 and is now closed. We heard from 225 people during the extended trial period (with 213 of these responses over the original summer trial period).
How to have your say?
We have multiple ways of sharing your feedback. The survey and any other feedback can be provided online, email or post, over the phone or in person.
- Please click our survey link below
- Email us to tell us more at yoursay@ccc.tas.gov.au (subject: Beach Access Mat feedback)
- Call any of the people and teams in the 'Who's listening' list.
- Visit us in person at 38 Bligh Street, Rosny Park, Tasmania 7018
- We will be at the trial site Saturday 6 January from 11am - 2pm during the Beach Party. Come along and share your feedback in person!
We would also love to see the beach access mat being used. Please send photos to us at: yoursay@ccc.tas.gov.au
What is a beach access mat?
Beach access mats provide a firm, continuous access path down to the hard sand areas of a beach. They help people of all ages and abilities overcome the challenge of soft sand and assist everyone to enjoy access to the beach and water.
A beach access mat is a long, sturdy ‘mat’ that is placed on top of soft sand and other surfaces to allow wheeled mobility aids (such as wheelchairs and prams) and people who have difficulty walking to reach the firmer sand near the water’s edge.
Due to the movement of tides and sand at the beach, it is not always guaranteed that the mat will provide access to the hard sand. Beach access mats are installed in locations and of a length that provides access to the hard sand most of the time whilst minimizing the potential impacts of wave and tidal movements on the mat.
Some photos from the test rollout on Tuesday 28 November getting ready for the summer trial: 
Why was Bellerive Beach selected for the trial site?
Council considered various beaches and coastal access points for the trial project. A lot of our beaches are not suitable for beach access mats as the access path are too steep, rocky or use steps to get down to the sand. A lot of our beaches are also exposed to and heavily impacted by waves and tidal movement meaning the mat would likely be damaged or washed away.
Bellerive was selected as the best site for the trial as it is one of our most popular beach destinations for residents and visitors to Clarence. This will allow us to capture a lot of data during the trial from a wide range of users. The beach is wide at low tide with plenty of hard sand allowing people to move along and enjoy the full length of the beach. Bellerive Beach also has existing infrastructure to support people to get to and stay longer at the beach such as car parking, public toilets, beach showers, shade shelters, generous footpaths, picnic facilities, an all abilities playground and nearby takeaway and cafes.
More details on the trial and answers to other questions are in the FAQ section to the right.
Survey
Beach Access Mat Trial - Community Survey
The beach access mat summer trial at Bellerive Beach is to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy access to the beach and water.
We appreciate you taking part in this short survey to let us know what you think of the trial. We will ask a few questions and also give you spaces to share your reasons. At the end, we will ask a few general questions about you.
