Toilets in the wilderness of New South Wales

Inspiring examples of sustainability in the middle of nowhere.

Do toilets impress you on your travels? I surely was impressed by them on our first road trip in Australia. Public toilets that are clean and free to use are a rarity in most European countries, so the amount and quality that I found in Australia was a pleasant surprise. And not only in the cities! Even when I was in the wilderness, without electricity or running water, I found composting toilets.

It’s easy to get used to this, and it seems to be obvious, too. If there’s a lot of visitors at certain places, why not build a toilet rather than let people create their own toilet spots, with lots of smelly toilet paper on the ground, not to mention other smelly stuff. I know they shouldn’t do it. But take a walk around trailhead car parks or picnic areas without toilets to get horrified. And just try to be realistic. I saw lots of sad examples of these hidden toilet corners in different European countries.

So on our latest camping trip to the Central West and North West inland regions of New South Wales (that’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere, in case you’re wondering), I couldn’t help admiring toilets again. And other sustainable practices.

Because on some of the roofs of these toilets, I saw a solar panel. Having electricity at such remote places is not at all straightforward, but a solar panel is just enough so that you can turn the lights on. Or operate an electric BBQ. Sure, electric BBQs can be found in the middle of nowhere, too. The Aussie nowhere, I mean.

Then at another picnic area, I noticed that they collect rainwater from the roof into a barrel, and there’s a tap on the barrel so that visitors can use the water. Of course, it’s not drinking water, but still great for dishwashing and tidying up. If you’ve ever been to a remote campsite where there’s no running water and learned to reuse water in every possible way (like using the water for cooking pasta, then reusing it for dishwashing), you’d really appreciate the water, treated or not.

Finally, why not promote saving the Regent Honeyeater on the walls of the toilet building? And play their sound as people do their business inside. I’m serious. And I loved it. :D

Wilderness in our modern society is not a straightforward thing, but something to be protected and taken care of. That’s what I feel at these remote places with their composting toilets, solar panels and rainwater collectors: someone takes care of this land. Even though it feels like no one is there, and it feels like no one even knows about the place.