"Why not make the Southern Highlands the accessible tourism destination of NSW?"
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That's the question BindiMaps CEO Anna Wright asked after the company installed its technology for the first time in the region this week.
The Mill in Bowral was the first Southern Highlands location to have the BindiMaps technology installed.
BindiMaps is an app targeted at people who are vision impaired, to help them navigate indoor spaces.
This week's installation was a collaboration between Auscare Support and The Mill.
Auscare Support CEO Max King said he believed it was an "innovative" solution to make The Mill more accessible to people who were vision impaired.
"It guides people around complex environments and as much as I love The Mill, I think The Mill has got a complex environment," he said.
"There's lots of different things here, it's got lots of different levels and we thought that it would be a useful addition to make The Mill more inclusive."
An indoor way-finding navigation app, BindiMaps chief product officer Tony Burrett said it was accurate to one or one and a half metres internally.
The company installs bluetooth beacons which locate the user and guide them to where they need to go.
BindiMaps can be used by anyone. It has a system of audio instructions for people with a vision impairment.
And for anyone who is sighted, the app will show them a map to follow.
[The Mill] is a landmark in Bowral. Lots of people visit it so for us to be here and for us to be totally accessible for people is a pretty significant thing for the area," Mr Burrett said.
Mr King said he hoped to raise awareness of BindiMaps in the Southern Highlands and that other venues would follow suit and install the technology as well.
"Hopefully there's a knock on affect. It would be nice if we were the start of other places becoming more accessible. There is an ageing and disabled population here that needs representation."
The Mill Bowral owner/director Matthew Holt said installing BindiMaps was another way to ensure visitors enjoyed a "spacious and accessible experience" at the venue.
"This is an extension of our previous partnership with Interchange Australia and what we observed with the enjoyment of their clients when visiting The Mill, including wide open access and space to feel comfortable and relax when on the premises," he said.
"We aim to take a proactive approach for all our customers who visit the various businesses we have. Now the visually impaired can enjoy a better customer experience. BindiMaps will allow better freedom of movement to more people and a better opportunity to enjoy our offerings.
"With the assistance of our resident business Auscare I am very pleased to be improving the accessibility of The Mill."
And while BindiMaps directs people to where they wish to go, Ms Wright said another handy feature of the app was the BindiLink.
So for someone who might be having coffee at The Mill, they can "drop a BindiLink" and send that to a friend who would be able to find them.
"Everyone gets lost anyway but it's much harder and much more dangerous if you're vision impaired," Ms Wright said.
"I'm really excited [to have BindiMaps in the Southern Highlands]. Everyone that I've spoken to has said they love The Mill [and] it's such a great place to be installing it."
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