Alexandra Falls
IT IS a service rarely discussed but vitally important to the public; everyone’s had to use one at one point or another and while the best go unnoticed, the worst are nightmares.
We speak, of course, of public toilets.
The North Central Review took an enlightening tour of some of the Mitchell Shire’s public toilets and was both pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised by what we saw.
All toilets were ranked by their scent, cleanliness, graffiti ratio, accessibility and accessories such as mirrors and lighting.
Among the worst were the public toilets in Memorial Park, Broadford, and Hudson Park, Kilmore.
While conveniently located, both were dimly lit, covered in graffiti and had a strong, unpleasant odor.
A flush was broken in the ladies room of Broadford and the taps were missing handles in the men’s toilet.
Kilmore’s ladies bathroom was littered with toilet paper and missing a tap handle, and the hand dryer in the males barely worked.
Neither facility had mirrors.
Broadford’s Lions Park facilities were slightly better with a less pervasive smell and cleaner, more modern facilities.
One stall was out of toilet paper and there were no sanitary bins or mirror, however there was a disabled cubicle in the male and female bathrooms.
One of the male toilets was missing a seat.
If travelling in Seymour one would be wise to avoid the toilets near the Tourist Information Centre.
They were relatively clean and not too smelly but the men’s toilets were all missing their seats and the women’s included an open metal bin under the sink for sanitary products.
A better choice would be to use the facilities located at the edge of the Safeway car park, which includes a disabled ramp and barely any graffiti.
The ladies toilets were fairly covered in wadded up toilet paper but the restrooms featured a separate area with changing table for babies and were relatively well kept.
Among the best in the facilities we visited were the toilets near Coles in Kilmore and inside Wellington Square in Wallan.
Kilmore’s features clean, well maintained facilities, with a mirror, good lighting and soap dispensers.
The facilities in Wellington Square were a clear standout; pleasant smelling, highly maintained and in pristine condition.
These were the epitome of a well-kept bathroom - one wouldn’t notice anything about it unless you were paying attention.
Credit where credit is due, the bathroom was located in a shopping centre, and is relatively new as well.
If you would like to weigh in on the facilities in your local area, be they good or bad, contact The North Central Review on 5734 3344 or write to 62-64 Sydney Street, Kilmore.
