After setting up in a beautiful bush camp, all too often there is one dark cloud hanging over grey nomads as they look forward to what should be an idyllic stop … the prospect of a trip to the drop toilet!
Even as the Outback stars start to twinkle and the Happy Hour drinks are poured, the unavoidable date with dunny destiny looms.
And, all too often these ominous-looking facilities are dark, dingy, cobwebby and potentially home to everything from spiders to snakes.
Gulp!
Talk about a mood killer.
While some of Australia’s most ‘notorious’ toilets have been replaced with more high-tech eco-friendly loos, there is little doubt that – as far as many grey nomads are concerned – things could still be an awful lot better.
Perhaps, the ultimate solution could come from the leaders in loo innovation … the Japanese.
The latest breakthrough are see-through public toilets in Tokyo. The eye-catching loos are transparent when not in use, and they then turn opaque when occupied.
In other words, you can check for nasty creepy-crawlies before you enter the enclosed space, and still enjoy total privacy when you’re safely inside.
The ‘Tokyo Toilet Project’ is an initiative aimed at revitalising the city’s public loos and organisers, The Nippon Foundation, are excited about it all.
“Using a new technology, we made the outer walls with glass that becomes opaque when the lock is closed, so that a person can check inside before entering,” they said. “At night, they light up the parks like a beautiful lantern.”
What could possibly go wrong?
