The Nhulunbuy Corporation would like to remind residents and visitors that the Gove Airport now has a Sunflower Quiet Room.
Sunflower Rooms are provided in many airport across Australia and the world and are designed to make life easier for passengers with hidden disabilities.
An airport can be a busy and stressful place, especially if you are unsure what to expect on the day. It is even more stressful when you or your travel companion has a disability that is not immediately obvious to airport staff – a hidden disability.
Hidden Disabilities can include autism, anxiety, dementia, mental health conditions, visual impairments, deaf or hard of hearing.
Travel stress, plus the bright lights and noise of the departure lounges can sometimes be a bit much for anyone. But for passengers with hidden disabilities, the unfamiliar and overwhelming environment can become unbearable.
The Gove Airport trialed a Sunflower Quiet Room inside the Airport terminal for 12 months and will now be having the Sunflower Quiet Room as a permanent fixture inside the departure lounge.
The room is intended to give travellers with hidden disabilities a safe haven, where they can wait to board their flight away in a calming space away from rest of the terminal.
We have extended this to mothers and babies also, so they can access a quiet, private room to settle and feed their little ones.
The room is currently unlocked and accessible to the public at all times that the Terminal is open.
We ask the general public to respect the intent of the Sunflower Room so that it is available for those who have a genuine need for a safe haven inside Gove Airport.