Accessibility Information for The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
A11y Camp 2024 will take place in the Clarendon Auditorium on the first floor at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, also called MCEC.
The MCEC venue has many accessible features. There is also a virtual tour of the venue on their website.
A map of the venue will be provided to registered attendees. The first floor can be accessed by lift or a flight of stairs near the Clarendon Street entrance of MCEC.
Wheelchair access and hire
There are accessible toilets, ramps, and lifts throughout MCEC, including lift access from the car parks.
The MCEC has a limited number of wheelchairs that can be loaned to you for the day on a first-come, first-served basis. They also have a wider wheelchair available if required.
If you’d like to hire a wheelchair, call the MCEC Customer Service team on +61 3 9235 8000 or email them at enquiries@mcec.com.au.
Assisted hearing
The Clarendon Auditorium where A11y Camp 2024 will take place is equipped with an infrared transmission-style hearing assistance system. Rooms with hearing assistance have a designated radio channel with programmable receivers.
The receivers can be fitted with two types of transducers:
- standard headphones, or
- a lanyard-style induction loop that works with hearing aids fitted with a “T” switch.
To book, send a message at least 1 week before the conference to camp@a11ybytes.org.
Vision impairment
Braille is provided on all room door signage and fixed directional signage throughout the venue. MCEC is guide dog friendly and welcomes any registered assistance dogs into all areas of the building.
Toilets
Multiple toilets are available throughout MCEC. The nearest ones to the Clarendon Auditorium are located approximately 6 metres from it, on the same floor. These include two gender neutral rooms of regular toilets, one with stalls and one with stalls and urinals.
There are accessible toilets on the ground floor of MCEC. Please use whichever toilet you are comfortable with. If you experience harassment regarding toilet use (or other issues), please tell us, and we will address it.
Accessible bathroom 1
Bathroom 1 is directly below the Clarendon Auditorium, is gender neutral, has grab rails near the toilet and enough room for a wheelchair. It is approximately 30 metres from the lifts.
Head straight to the wall behind the stairs and turn right. The entrance to the bathrooms will be a few metres on your left. There is a bathroom sign directing you. When you enter the bathroom hallway, turn right and the bathroom will be towards the end on the left.
Accessible bathroom 2
There is another accessible toilet on the ground floor along the concourse beside the exhibition halls near Door 2, approximately 90 metres from the lifts to the Clarendon Auditorium. This is a gender-neutral accessible bathroom with grab rails near the toilet, enough room for a wheelchair and a baby change table.
Once you come out of the lifts on Ground Level, turn right. Go straight out, veering slightly to the right to follow the glass windows down the hallway. The bathrooms will be on your left. There is a bathroom sign on the ceiling outside the entrance.
Changing places
MCEC is installing a Changing Places on the ground floor of the Convention Centre Place end of the building. We are hoping it will be open in time for A11y Camp but cannot confirm it yet. We will update this page when we have more information.
If you need adult change facilities, please contact us by email at camp@a11ybytes.org so we can assist in finding a suitable solution.
Getting there
A11y Camp will take place in the Clarendon Auditorium at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, also called MCEC.
There are 2 main entrances to the MCEC:
- Via Clarendon Street
The closest entrance to the Clarendon Auditorium is the Clarendon Street one.
- Via Convention Centre Place entrance
You’ll have to walk approximately 500m inside the building on a level surface to the Clarendon Auditorium.
You can get to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre by car or public transport.
By Public Transport
You can find updated public transport information on the Public Transport Victoria website or you can call 1800 800 007 and select Option 1.
By Tram
Tram routes 96, 109, and 12 will all take you directly to the Clarendon Street entrance (Stop 124A Casino/MCEC). Alternatively, tram routes 70, 75, and the City Circle can drop you off at Stop 1 Spencer St/Flinders St. From there, it is a 350m walk to the Clarendon Street entrance of MCEC.
By Bus
From Monday to Friday, bus route 237 goes via Southern Cross Station to 18 Pence Lane stop on Lorimer Street, which is roughly a six-minute walk to the Convention Centre Place entrance of the MCEC.
By Train
Southern Cross Station is the closest train station to MCEC. When you come out of the station you can take tram routes 96, 109, or 12 to the 124A Casino/MCEC/Clarendon Street stop which is outside the Clarendon Street entrance. Or you can walk about 10 minutes along Spencer Street to reach MCEC.
If you have mobility requirements, Travellers Aid has a range of services to assist you. Including a companion service to get you where you need to go and mobility equipment hire.
By Taxi, Rideshare, or Drop-off
The Clarendon Street entrance of MCEC has a one-way vehicle direction with a drop-off point that provides access to ramps and the building entrance. A high visibility line defines the curb.
The MCEC also has a nearby taxi rank outside their venue on Convention Centre Place by the Novotel Melbourne South Wharf hotel entrance. There will then be an approximately 500m walk inside the building on a level surface to the Clarendon Auditorium.
Getting to MCEC from Melbourne Airport
When you arrive at Melbourne Airport (also known as Tullamarine Airport), you have two options:
- You can catch a taxi from outside your terminal or request a rideshare by following the signs outside your terminal to the pick-up zones.
- You can also get the Melboune City Express Skybus to Southern Cross Station. Skybus is accessible for people with mobility requirements. They accept Companion Cards, and travel is free for Vision Impaired Travel Pass and Access Travel Pass holders.
Parking at the venue
Wilson Parking operates a secure underground car park at the Exhibition Centre that offers a range of flexible rates. Book online before you visit to secure a spot at a discounted rate. You can book a car spot online at Wilson Parking.
There are 20 dedicated accessible car parking bays within the Melbourne Exhibition Centre Basement Car Park, the car park entry is located on Normanby Road. All accessible car parks are located near doors 1, 6, and 10 which also have access to vertical lifts. You can book a discounted car spot online at Wilson Parking. Accessible car parking bays often fill up quickly, so we highly recommend pre-booking. The nearest door to the Clarendon Auditorium is Door 1.
Car parks nearby
There is an abundance of convenient secure car parking available around MCEC. Nearby car parks include:
Entry instructions
From the Clarendon Street entrance
Please note that the Clarendon Street Entrance is the closest of the two entrances from the Clarendon Auditorium where A11y Camp will take place. There will be signage to help you find A11y Camp.
The Clarendon Street entrance features a wide and deep frontage with multiple door entries. All doors have vertical hand grip handles. It also features an automatic/manual opening and closing door with accessibility features. The door features the internationally recognised blue and white logo. The door has opening-direction signage and a door handle clearly marked “Pull”.
There is a ramp and shallow-graded steps to the entrance of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tactile surface indicators and bollards, marked for visibility, are positioned to ensure safe pedestrian access to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
From the Convention Centre Place entrance
This entrance is the farthest to the Clarendon Auditorium where A11y Camp will take place. It leads directly into the Convention Centre Place lobby and is about 500 metres from the Clarendon Auditorium.
From the Convention Centre Place entrance there is a small step up from the road to the footpath directly outside the doors. This is marked with a high visibility strip. There are five curbside lips from the road to the footpath in various locations within the entrance. Concrete bollards are outside the entrance, they are not marked for high visibility.
To enter the Convention Centre Place lobby, you will have to get through two sets of glass doors with sensor-operated automatic sliding doors. The doors feature visual indicator strips. The ground is flat.
The whole surface of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Concourse from the Convention Centre Place lobby to the Clarendon Street Entrance is level with grey low pile carpet tiles and to the right exposed sealed concrete tiles – providing tactile surface variances. Lighting is a mix of natural light and artificial lighting providing good visibility.
After Entry instructions
Once you reach the Clarendon Street end of the building, you will need to access the first floor where the Clarendon Auditorium is located. A11y Camp signage will be displayed, and we are happy to orientate anyone through the venue. There is also a customer service desk as you come in the Clarendon Street entrance, who can also help direct you to the Clarendon Auditorium.
To access the first floor you have 2 options:
- Stairs – There is a large staircase to the left of the Customer Service desk.
- Lift – The entrances to the lift are located at Ground Floor level, directly behind the Customer Service Desk on the right. Once you come out on Level 1, turn right and after around 10 meters, turn left.
Outside the front of the Clarendon Auditorium, there will be some tables and chairs including a registration desk. Come to the registration desk first and we will sign you in. After you have signed in at the registration desk you can head straight to the Clarendon Auditorium or wait in another location. There will be some chairs set up in the foyer.
Inside the Clarendon Auditorium, we will have special areas marked off for people who need a seat saved for them. If you have trouble finding a seat and need assistance, you can ask someone at the registration desk for help.
