Doin' It Their Way

In the states, finding a truly public restroom (one that is not associated with a highway rest area, fast food restaurant or convenience store) can be a challenge. And I suppose that is the reason that it seems a revelation to find places in the world where such restrooms do exist, are clean, even pleasant, and  well marked.

Maybe I notice this added feature of the urban landscape here because we’ve been traveling about with small children for the last six years – and therefore, making the associated mad dashes for restrooms required of parents of the young. Thus, it was a wonderful discovery to find that Australians have taken the humble public restroom to a whole new level. This, my friends, is the Exeloo.

An incredible invention that comes with automatic everything (water, soap, even toilet paper), this beauty is even self-cleaning. Background music plays softly, starting once the door is closed and ending when the door is opened again. My favorite selection, overheard one afternoon while making the parental loo run with Erin, is “I Did It My Way”.

Use of the Exeloo is not to be abused. Strict warnings are posted that indicate not to exceed the 10 minute limit or you risk the door automatically opening on you and the self-cleaning cycle starting up on top of you. What a humbling experience that must be - humiliating and soggy at the same time.

It may be something better experienced than read about, and indeed, several of our visitors have been entertained by it. Australia – doing it their way.