Toilet poll: your favourite Australian public loos, from architectural wonders to a ‘magnificent pissoir’

When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But erstwhile you’re caught retired successful nationalist – beryllium it connected an outback roadworthy travel oregon successful the mediate of a metropolis – the unit intensifies, and uncovering a nationalist toilet that is clean, stocked and accessible tin go painfully difficult.

So, what makes Australia’s champion nationalist toilet, and wherever tin we find it? We posed the question and, successful the comments and connected Twitter, Guardian Australia readers shared their picks.

Some it seems are lone successful it for the architecture; others are looking for pristine cleanliness.

Alan444 pointed to an “architectural wonder” successful Sydney.

In Sydney determination is an architectural wonderment astatine Georges Heights, adjacent Frenchys Cafe: louvred timber that is unfastened and airy portion angled to support privateness successful a bushland plot setting. Quite the happening for sitting connected the throne.

Murgatroyd7’s favourite is successful Brisbane.

The nationalist toilets successful Brisbane City Hall are beautiful, 1920’s achromatic and achromatic creation deco. Go cheque them retired people, they’re a hidden gem.

The 1800s formed robust pissoir adjacent the Sydney Harbour Bridge offers ‘convenience and comfortableness arsenic agelong arsenic you’re a bloke’. Photograph: Kent Johnson/Alamy

Hannibalcrackers likes the aged pissoir astatine Sydney’s Dawes Point:

There is simply a magnificent Victorian pissoir astatine the northbound extremity of George Street successful Dawes Point, Sydney. Convenience and comfortableness arsenic agelong arsenic you’re a bloke.

TheOldBotanist praised the custodians of a nationalist loo successful a determination Victorian town.

Perhaps not the prettiest, champion located oregon astir spectacular, but the consistently cleanest nationalist toilets I’ve ever seen - and I mean spotless, odourless, functional, nary rubbish – are successful the Victorian Mallee municipality of Walpeup, associated with the precise pleasant Walpeup Wayside Stop Community Park.

The ‘narrow stairs’ introduction to the underground men’s toilets adjacent Melbourne’s General Post Office. Photograph: downunder/Alamy

Bluebec picked the mid-city restrooms extracurricular Melbourne’s GPO connected Elizabeth Street – but they’re not the astir accessible.

On Twitter, Pat Armstrong praised the “amazing 80s po-mo [postmodern] toilet blocks” hidden astir Sydney’s Darling Harbour, including 1 nether the Pyrmont Bridge. “Every clip there’s nationalist works determination I fearfulness they’ll beryllium ‘upgraded’ retired of existence.”

For commenter Choppernoodle, what matters is the upkeep.

As a bowel crab subsister and truthful idiosyncratic of toilet amenities astatine a moment’s notice, I conscionable nonstop retired a large convey you to each of those who enactment hard to guarantee that immoderate toilet amenity is clean. I can’t archer you however overmuch it means to desperately request a loo and find 1 that, though shabby, is astatine slightest clean. Thank you from the bottommost of my bosom (or the bosom of my bottom!).

The nationalist toilets successful Brisbane City Hall, with a 1920s creation deco style, are a ‘hidden gem’. Photograph: John Quixley - Australia/Alamy

Then of people there’s the quirkier loos, peculiarly those with an unbeatable view.

Alan444 recommends stopping astatine Devil’s Kitchen campground connected the Great Ocean Walk successful Victoria. “There was a genuinely fabulous dunny built up connected stilts astatine the borderline of the wood overlooking the astonishing Southern Ocean,” helium says.

The Devil’s Kitchen campground connected the Great Ocean Walk features a ‘truly fabulous dunny’ connected stilts. Photograph: Kat Clay/Getty Images

Pickaname_Anyname has different successful Victoria, astatine Macalister Springs connected Mount Howitt.

For a scenic enactment successful Tasmania’s south-west, effort the precocious campy hut astatine Mount Anne, tweeted Tim Lyons. “[It’s] a agelong driblet toilet with a Perspex backmost truthful you tin beryllium (back to the door) and place the wilderness including Lake Pedder from astir of the mode up the Mountain.”

Or you could sojourn the loo astatine Old Pelion Hut loo connected the Overland Track successful Tasmania, suggests Thorn001. “Been determination for much than 100 years, nary door, agelong drop, looks consecutive retired [at] the mountains. Gold standard.”

For ElstonGunston, you can’t bushed the harbour views from a restroom connected Sydney’s Cockatoo Island.

The men’s toilets connected Cockatoo Island are afforded an fantabulous presumption of Sydney Harbour. Photograph: Stephen Dwyer/Alamy

Finally, not forgotten were the toilets that, portion often unremarkable, were recovered conscionable successful the nick of time.

Ivymantled says a fig of toilets person been “thoughtfully installed” on the Larapinta Trail successful the Northern Territory.

Through 11-12 days of trekking implicit mountains and done gullies and canyons – adjacent specified basal facilities are appreciated.

The Larapinta hiking way runs for 223km done the NT, with a fewer thoughtful stops on the way. Photograph: Genevieve Vallee/Alamy

As Realto enactment it: “The champion nationalist toilet is the 1 that’s easy recovered erstwhile you’re desperate. Bonus if there’s a vacant stall, much points if it’s clean, stocked with insubstantial and handwash soap.”