Australia’s best public toilet is at a Sydney shopping centre
It may be a turn of the tide for shoppers who shy away from public toilets.
As more centres across the country compete for the best facilities, one in western Sydney has taken out Australia’s 2019 Best Bathroom Competition.
Westpoint Blacktown’s recently upgraded and quite dazzling dunnies are likely to see customers visit the loo in waves.
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The luxe spaces feature hidden hand dryers, cascading greenery, and a parents’ room packed with play features.
For mothers who need to make a pit stop and feed their bubs, there are individual pods with interactive toys to keep older siblings entertained.
Andrew Lawson from Total Facilities, which runs the annual contest, said the centre’s bathrooms ticked all the boxes in terms of design, innovation, aesthetics and functionality.
He said the centre had taken standard facilities for shoppers to another exciting level with its warm, inviting and colourful setting.
“The family room was a standout aesthetically because when you go to different shopping centres and airports you are generally greeted with white walls and placid features — that alone can change the overall feel,” Lawson says.
“In terms of functionality, there is also a dedicated space for people who need carers.”
Fitted with many mirrors, the spruced up toilets also have motion sensor taps, a mix of timber and terrazzo style pieces, downlights, and some mosaic murals designed to reflect images of the area’s history.
Not only does Westpoint win bragging rights, its refreshed restrooms will be on show and praised at the Total Facilities annual exhibition, being held in Darling Harbour next week.
The bustling multi-storey centre along Blacktown’s Patrick St is owned by Queensland Investment Corporation, which worked with i2C Architects on the latest design.
National interior design manager Magdalena Uscinowicz said the company wanted to give customers “something more”.
“As a result, the design team were able to push design boundaries and set benchmarks in the industry by proving the human experience can be enhanced in any space,” she says.
The 2019 runner up was Brisbane Entertainment Centre, nominated for its bright Pink Ladies loos which were opened by adored American singer, Pink, in 2009 after her sell out shows.
This article from the Blacktown Advocate originally appeared as “Western Sydney shopping centre home to Australia’s best toilets”.