Sure, it's a convenient and comfortable way for the residents to get around.

But the van also means that residents are now spared the prospect of paying a hefty fare to hire a wheelchair taxi from Newcastle to take them into town for important appointments.

"It costs our residents $150 to get a wheelchair taxi out from Newcastle," Avondale Retirement Village site manager Lorin Bradford said.

"We cannot justify this expense for a medical appointment to Morisset or Toronto, so we have had to purchase our own wheelchair van."

The van's arrival has been welcomed by village residents such as Clarrie Dupen.

"I have frequent medical appointments, but without a wheelchair taxi in the area, it is becoming more and more difficult to find a ride that doesn't cost the earth," Mr Dupen, 84, said.

The Department of Transport has been unable to find an operator for a wheelchair taxi service in the Southlake region, Mr Bradford said.