Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge #Australia Trip #4 #lovemelbourne #viewintheloo #dontstallinthestall
Warning: Content May Be Offensive to Some
If you have been in a bathroom in the United States, you have been assaulted by graffiti, someone loves someone else, maybe even phone numbers.
Australia is different. Or if you are Australian, my thinking is a bit skewed. Or maybe my thinking IS a bit skewed. You can decide that after you read.
The “loo” is clean. Australians cures for graffiti by covering the door with instructions.
Seriously or Australian Humor?
I expected to have language difficulties when I came to Australia. However, I thought I would understand icons and instruction drawings.
Wrong.
This poster appears in several bathrooms around Australia. This one accosted me in the airport as soon as I deplaned in Brisbane, Queensland.
“Who stands on a toilet?” I thought. “Is she hiding from someone? Is she exercising – NEXT TO THE TOILET? There must be a better place to do that! What’s up with this? Eeew! I’d almost rather read graffiti.”
Apparently, there is a problem with newcomers to Australia not understanding how to use a flush toilet, so the government solved the problem with these iconic drawings.
OK, I was not expecting that, but things are different in Australia just as they would be in any country.
But I became guarded about using the loo.
A few days later I went to Healesville Sanctuary to see the native animals. The Sanctuary is environmentally conscientious. I found this sign.
So, I wondered, “How in the world the Sanctuary recycled their toilet paper. How does that even work? How could they ever make enough paper to offer it for sale? I was sure I did not want to use it! Notice the paper is brown. Yikes!”
I asked my friends, Leanne Cole and the Eternal Traveller and their friends about it. They did not understand my problem.
I thought it was CLEAR! Crystal Clear! Gross, but clear.
They thought I was “bit of a nutter.”
Finally, Mrs. ET figured it out.
“Companies turn recycled paper into toilet paper. The Sanctuary want everyone to use fewer trees and use recycled toilet paper. They don’t recycle the toilet paper used here.”
You read the sign. It’s ambiguous, right? Suzanna agreed with me. The story got around, and several people including my hubby who came up with some solutions to recycling toilet paper.
Hopefully, you can’t think of any. For more oddball pictures click here.
Recent Australia Posts
- Australian Gold Rush #1
- Melbourne’s Walk in the Park Tour: Treasury Gardens #2
- Fun Flying from Melbourne to Toowoomba #3
Additional Posts
The Eternal Traveller’s posts
Leanne’s Posts
A Wandering Memory’s Posts
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
24 responses to “How Do You Use the Bathroom in Australia?”
[…] #4 How Do You Use the Bathroom in Australia Carol has many posts about loos with views on her site. This is mine. […]
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Goodness gracious…I saw a sign similar to the first one, once, somewhere in FL. It was horrific. This one…worse. I will take bathroom-stall-poetry any day over THAT.
As for you confusion over the next sign, what a riot! Is Aussie willing to take it to a new level and go with the bidet and recycle the water?? Did you encounter any in Melbourne? Then there is the joy of the composting toilet! 😀
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No I did not encounter any recycled bidet water even in Melbourne! hehehe 🙂
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HAR HAR oh what a pity! 😉
P.S. I fell down a hill last night. I thought of you. Regards!
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I haven’t fallen since I got my “stabilization shoes! “
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I am still in denial phase…stabilization shoes…naaaaaaah I don’t need those! As I go hurtling head over heels down the side of a ravine. Went to a gorge not too long ago, fancied some rock-clambering. Went right up to the edge of the gorge before I remembered I am ever so SLIGHTLY prone to the occasional spill…then a bee decided to bombilate in my face as I was peering downward. A nest must have been just below. Cute bee, too.
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Do you even know what stabilization shoes are, funny girl? They are basically “trainers” as the English kids call them, running shoes, sneakers. Mine are a pretty turquoise and gray. They are fairly light. The shoe store, Soul to Soul spends a bit of time measuring and watching you walk, then finds the right shoe for you. I don’t notice much difference, but I haven’t fallen. 🙂 I’m sorry your face got bombilated. Did you see my bee picture? He was way too busy pigging out on pollen to be interested in my peering face. It’s one of my newer posts on Streaming Thoughts, which is renamed something or other. I probably should switch it back.
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No, I missed the bee, but I will find him!
Oh so THAT is what a stabilization shoe is…Hum! I was imagining huge, heavily-weighted black rubbery shoes that clunk around like cinder blocks! 😉
I have to wear track shoes, with ultra-thin soles. My feet are very sensitive. I have clunky hiking boots but I end up wearing my track trainers and destroying them out in the muck. Ah whale!
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I am so glad you are back to your regularly commenting self. I have missed you soooooo much! 🙂
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:p 😀
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Great fun post.
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Thanks Miriam. You should have been there. My friends could not understand my confusion at first, and I did not see why they did not think it was the funniest thing ever. 🙂
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Hilarious stuff! The “recycled loo paper” is definitely ambiguous. It boggles the mind. 😅😳
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That was my exact feeling. I came out of the “loo” almost in tears, laughing so hard. It took the others a little while to catch on to how funny it was, but when they did, we never got over it! 🙂 BTW, glad you’re back safe and sound. Your trip sounded fantastic! 🙂
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I did find the signs rather entertaining when in the loo. Fortunately I did not see the recycled toilet paper request.
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Maybe it was just at the Animal Sanctuary! The koalas were not using either the “loo” or toilet paper. Absolutely no need for recycling doing it the Sanctuary way! 🙂 OK, that was gross, but you are ducks, right?
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You’re not alone, Marsha. I read that recycle toilet paper sign the same way you did. What a hoot! Shared this amusement across my pages 🙂
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A fun post 😀
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Thanks, Dahlia. It was funny! 🙂
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Pity you did not “peek” into the mens loos in The Shamrock in Toowoomba. It has sparkling black tiles and a HUGE window that faces into the bar and is the urinal trough!!!!! You can see into the bar from inside of the mens but you cannot see into the mens from the bar. THANK GOODNESS 😃
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This is a fun post for odd balls. 😀
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Thanks, Cee. We all had a laugh about it! 🙂
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So I’m assuming you didn’t peek into an empty men’s loo to quickly photograph the signage Martha? Maybe Mr. ET would have obliged if you’d have asked him? Now I am intrigued as to what signs might be there?
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Actually, Mr. ET wasn’t along on this trip! It was just us girls. 🙂 So, no peeking! 🙂
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