Key Points
- Tour operator Cocky Guides specialises in facilitating small group travel for blind and low-vision Australians.
- A dozen vision impaired travellers went to Perth for the first time as part of a tour organised by the operator.
- Three of the cohort told SBS about their experiences travelling.
Turkish-born Neslihan Sari has been living in Melbourne for almost all of her life, but hasn't had much of a chance to see the world.
The 40-year-old was born with glaucoma and has been living with a prosthetic right eye since losing vision in it when she was just two years old.
"For all of my life, I have always been vision impaired," Sari said.
"But I did have some usable vision, I could read large print. When I could see a little bit, I was very much into arts and crafts, into drawing, and into sculpting."
Charlie McConnell, Gina Kojta, Neslihan Sari and James McFarlene on an excursion at Fremantle Prison. Source: SBS News
For the paralegal and disability advocate, it put a halt to a number of her interests including travel, saying her declining vision took a "shot to her confidence".
That was until she decided to take up the challenge and travel independently.
Sari came across Australian tour operator Cocky Guides, which specialises in providing trips and planning itineraries for blind and low-vision tourists.
Last week, the tour company took a group of 12 over to Perth for the first time – supported by companions including the use of two guide dogs.
"Travelling independently … is a totally different experience," Sari said. "Doing this helps just to feel that I can see the world with, I guess, no eyes."
Cocky Guides took a cohort to some of WA's iconic locations including Busselton, Rottnest Island, the Pinnacles Desert, Fremantle Prison and a few breweries and farms.
A Cocky Guides group of 12 low-vision travellers at the Pinnacles Desert in December. Source: SBS News
Gina Kojta fled the communist regime in Romania in 1989 and came to Australia, but hasn't been able to travel to much of it.
"I came through marriage and I love Australia very much," Kojta said.
The 60-year-old was born with high myopia and has been living with a macular hole and retinal detachment. Even with a walking cane, she isn't confident enough to venture too far.
"The vision deteriorated to the point where I could no longer do the activities that I used to do before," she said.
"(Now) with this travel group, I am seeing and visiting places I didn't think I would ever be able to visit."
Local Indigenous guide Josh Whiteland from Koomal Dreaming leading the travel group. Source: SBS News
"Growing up in regional NSW, doing manual-like duties in the country in the 60s – loading hay trucks, chasing sheep around paddocks – it all depended on guesses and calculations," he said.
"As I started to fall off trucks and almost get myself into major troubles, I realised that my days working manually were over.
"And that was tough, especially living in the country."
But the 64-year-old has gone on to reach an impressive array of milestones throughout his travels.
"I've been able to run a Comrades Marathon, and walk the Kokoda track; that was absolutely smashing … (then) over to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and went up to the top of that," he said.
"I've always wanted to get out and about. But the problem we always had was to try and find someone else that was going to match your personality; then the next question was, do they have the time?"
Having now completed Perth, McConnell hopes to add Cape York and the Kimberley region to his travel list, before venturing over to Canada for a visit.
"It's always very frustrating and very annoying having to hear about people going to various places and wondering what the heck they are talking about," he said.
