a girl wearing sensory friendly headphones

Accessibility


The Workshops Rail Museum welcomes all visitors and offers accessible parking and wheelchair access to exhibits, restrooms and café.

If you have further questions about accessibility, please ask our staff or contact us.

Tickets & entry

Quieter times
The Workshops Rail Museum is usually quieter between 2pm and 4pm on school days with our quietest month being February and November.

Service animals
We welcome service dogs, however in the interest of a safe and healthy visit for all guests and the protection of our state’s historical collection, we ask you leave all other animals at home.

Purchasing tickets
To avoid queues consider purchasing your tickets online prior to your visit.

You can print your barcoded ticket at home using the PDF sent to you, or open the PDF and use the barcode on your phone, ready to be scanned on entry to the exhibition.

Printing or scanning your ticket will allow for faster access to the museum on busy days.

Companion Card program
We recognise the Queensland Government's Companion Card program. The companion of a Companion Card Holder is entitled to free entry.

If you have a Companion Card holder ticket to an exhibition or event, please have your valid Queensland Government issued ‘Companion Card’ ready to show staff.

For card examples please visit the Queensland Government website.

Moving around the museum

Parking
Accessible parking can be found on North Street, North Ipswich to the left of the museum Ticket Office.

There are set down and pickup spaces at the museum Ticket Office and the public bus stop is 20 meters from the front entrance. We recommend using the free museum car park, follow the signs when you arrive. Visitors are welcome to the set down area at the museum entrance if required to drop off visitors before parking in the museum car park.

Wheelchair access
All entrances and majority of the areas in the museum are wheelchair accessible. Exhibition areas in the museum are accessed via gently sloping ramps or at ground level.

There is seating around the museum and seating and eating areas in the Trackside Café and museum grounds. Space for wheelchairs is set aside at all of our events and activities, including lectures, workshops and shows.

The Trackside Café can be accessed from the rear of the building via a ramp or via a chair lift. Please ask one of our Visitor Service Officer’s to assist you.

You can borrow a wheelchair for use within the museum from the Ticket Office located at the museum’s entrance. They are free of charge and subject to availability. Motorised wheelchairs are permitted in The Workshops Rail Museum.

Restrooms
While there are no toilets inside our exhibitions, there are single user/accessible toilets at the Ticket Office, Trackside Café and inside the museum.

There is an Accessible Family Room in the museum containing change table facilities, feeding areas and toilets. Accessible toilets in the museum, Café and Ticket Office also contain fold-down change tables.

Museum exhibits and interpretation
Exhibits and displays within the museum are presented using a variety of modes ranging from text panels, multi-media, static object displays, audio, live performances and interactive.

The material presented in each exhibition or event will vary according to content and every effort will be made to provide material in a variety of modes suitable to the broadest possible audience. Support material will include where possible transcripts, subtitles and other material considered appropriate.

Please enquire at the museum Ticket Office about the availability of large print guides for exhibition content.

Audio & Visual

Sensory kits
Noise cancelling headphones and Sensory Kits are available at the Ticket Office or Model Rail Exhibit.

Sensory friendly sessions
These sessions are offered during the school holidays and at these times we reduce crowding by selling fewer tickets to our experiences and aim to provide consistency in lighting and reduce noise.

Adjustments to experiences have been guided by feedback from Autism Queensland.

Resources

Maps
Use our map of high sensory spaces and exhibits to plan a visit to suit your child.

Sensory friendly sessions

Sensory friendly sessions are available throughout the year where we make accommodations to support visitors who prefer a quieter, sensory-friendly experience.
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