A toilet block in regional Victoria has been nominated for a heritage listing.
The Warracknabeal and District Ladies Restrooms isn’t just any toilet block – it’s got a visitor book, a lounge area, toys for children and even a small kitchenette.
It was built in Warracknabeal, about 330km north-west of Melbourne, in 1928 when women weren’t welcome in pubs and had nowhere to go to the bathroom when they visited the town.
Similar restrooms existed in other towns across regional Australia in the early 1900s to give rural a place to go to the toilet and care for babies and young children.
Yarriambiack Mayor Kylie Zanker got emotional when talking about the facility on 3AW, saying the love and care that had gone into the building was “phenomenal”.
“It’s just the most amazing toilet block,” she said.
“It’s more than a toilet block, it just has so many memories, so many emotions.
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“It’s seriously like stepping into your grandma’s loungeroom”.
Zanker said the restrooms had been a “social meeting place” for almost 100 years and were still regularly used.
The restrooms are managed by a committee.
They are permitted to be used by any women and boys up to the age of six.
Heritage Victoria executive director Steven Avery has recommended the restrooms be included in the Victorian Heritage Register.
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