The construction site at Nathalia's Apex Park.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
A pile of dirt sits in the place of the former public toilet block in Nathalia’s Apex Park.
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Off to the side, two portable toilets stand silent vigil on the unshaded bitumen.
For several months now, frustrated residents have wondered when a new facility will be installed.
The site of the former toilet block at Apex Park, Nathalia.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Nathalia resident Adrienne Van Leunen first contacted Moira Shire Council in early August to inquire about the project.
She said she would like the council to guarantee the toilet block would be fixed by the New Year’s Eve carnival on December 31.
“They will definitely need to be in place [by then],” Mrs Van Leunen said.
In August, in a response from council to an inquiry from the The Shepparton News, a council spokesperson said the installation of the new toilet was planned for late October/early November.
Earlier this month, the Courier asked council for an update on the project.
A council spokesperson said that, due to the age of the previous toilet block, bearing capacity soil testing had been undertaken at the site to ensure that it was still suitable for the amenity.
The spokesperson added that with the soil testing now complete, the building permit was being finalised for the installation of the prefabricated facility on-site.
Once finalised, the spokesperson said, the toilets would be installed.
However, the spokesperson did not specify when exactly this would happen.
Since an incident in April this year severely damaged the building, the toilet block has been inaccessible to the public.
Debris from the incident remained at the site behind construction fencing for at least four months after the incident.
An image taken in August shows the extent of damage to the former toilet block following the incident in April.
Photo by
Contributed
Apex Park is a destination popular with local walkers, joggers and families. Canoeists ply the waters of the Broken Creek, while holidaymakers travelling interstate stop at the park to break their drive.
The delay has left locals wondering when they might expect to see the public toilet block replaced.
Of the four public toilets in Nathalia, just two — at the Barmah Forest Heritage & Education Centre and the Memorial Gardens — are currently open to the public.
Mrs Van Luenen said the temporary fencing had been in place at the site since the incident in April.
“There should be a toilet block there,” Mrs Van Leunen said.
“There shouldn’t be a pile of rubble, and there certainly shouldn’t have been that temporary fencing and those [portable] toilets in place for seven months.
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