An Australian wheelchair user has detailed his frustrating experience travelling to a popular Queensland holiday destination.With its sparkling blue waters, epic marine life and tropical weather, it is no surprise that over half a million tourists flock to the stunning Hamilton Island each year.For Melbourne man Shane Hryhorec, it was a place he had always dreamt of visiting and finally got the chance to touch down in the sunny paradise in March this year.The 41-year-old, who uses a wheelchair after suffering a spinal injury while swimming back in 2007, claimed he had reached out to the island’s tourism board and told them he was coming.He planned to document his experience on his social media, Wheels Around the World, which showcases his experiences of travelling with a disability.Mr Hryhorec explained that they were excited about the idea and offered him a few nights free in exchange for his honest review.But after landing on the island and going over to the hotel’s transport desk to arrange a transfer to his hotel, he was met with a shocking response.“I travel the world to show what it is like to travel with a disability and one place I have always been keen to visit is Hamilton Island,” he told news.com.au.“I booked a trip, and reached out to them to let them know I was coming and that I would be sharing my experience.“So they knew I was coming. But when I arrived, they told me that the wheelchair bus was broken, it was ‘in the workshop’ being repaired.”In a statement to news.com.au, a spokesperson for Hamilton Island said they valued Mr Hryhorec sharing his experience and is committed to enhancing every guest’s experience.“Hamilton Island takes accessibility very seriously and is committed to providing a high standard of service for all guests,” they said.“Guest feedback plays an important role in how we continue to improve, and we genuinely value Shane sharing his experience with us. “Hamilton Island remains firmly committed to enhancing accessibility across the destination and is continually reviewing and investing in ways to deliver a positive experience for every guest.”The entire interaction was recorded by Mr Hryhorec in a now-viral video uploaded to social media for the very first time this week. “Nobody told us that a wheelchair was coming,” the worker told him, to which Mr Hryhorec joked, “Are you going to give me a piggyback?”Instead of waiting around at the airport, he decided to wheel to his hotel, with the transport worker offering to transport his bags. But what he did not know, and what he says nobody told him, was that the road to his accommodation was extremely steep.“I decided I would just wheel to the hotel, which was about 20 minutes away,” he explained. “But I did not realise it was not flat, it was up a huge steep hill. “Luckily I had two power assisted motors with me, otherwise there was no way I could have done it. “It was risky, as there were golf buggies flying past me left, right and centre. But it was an interesting way to see the island.”After getting to his hotel, Mr Hryhorec was relieved to find that the room was “extremely accessible” and the staff were very apologetic about the situation and offered him a dining voucher.Since posting about the ordeal, he claims others have come forward with similar experiences on Hamilton Island. “There were lots of comments about the same thing, that people arrived with a wheelchair and there was no accessible bus,” he said.“It obviously happens a lot and I think the way Hamilton Island could get around this is just to make sure there is always a wheelchair-friendly bus available.“There are people that come with walkers and other mobility challenges. It is not just wheelchair users.“This experience is not unique to me, these are common challenges faced by people with disabilities every time they travel anywhere. “It is just part of what we have to deal with and we need tourism operators to take us more seriously.”Mr Hryhorec is the managing director of Push Mobility, an Australian disability equipment provider and distributor established in 2013.He hopes that by sharing his story, it will help raise awareness of the need for more accessibility in the Australian travel space.“It has become really clear to me that we are so far behind when it comes to DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) laws,” he said.“You go to any street in an Australian high street, and so many shops are not even accessible. “Even cinemas are not accessible. The standards need to change.”Earlier this year, Mr Hryhorec had another clip go viral when he filmed an airport staffer threaten he would cop a $400 fine if his ride home parked in the disability pick-up zone.He explained that he received a call from his mother as he was making his way to the disability pick-up zone at Adelaide Airport saying a worker told her she wasn’t allowed to stop in the zone without a permit.“My mother was picking me up and I called her to say I am just a few minutes away and she goes, ‘oh, I just did a loop and I didn’t even pull into the area because the person that was there said, ‘you can’t stop here’,” he told news.com.au at the time.“He was really just going at her. It was crazy.“As I was rolling out I decided to film it just to see what was going to happen and heaven behold the worker turns to me and says ‘is that your mum trying to pick you up? She can’t pick you up here’.”Mr Hryhorec said he told the male staffer he has a disability and that he was in a wheelchair (accompanied by a support dog), adding “this is what it’s made for”.But the staffer was insistent the pair would both cop a fine if she pulled over as she did not have a permit.An Adelaide Airport spokesperson contacted him to apologise and said they were investigating the matter.Read related topics:Brisbane