Australia’s Scenic Public Toilets #11 – Stansbury, Yorke Peninsula, SA

Last Updated on February 21, 2017 by Red Nomad OZ

Australia’s beaches don’t all look like the pre-tropical-cyclone-Yasi* paradisical wet dream of white sand, palms and crystal clear water! While this may fill some reader’s hearts with dismay, there’s no way the southern beaches, especially those of South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, could be mistaken for their northern counterparts!

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing – Stansbury’s stretch of beach along Oyster Bay (there’s no mystery why it’s called that!) is a superb example of that other kind of paradise where warnings against crocodiles, marine stingers or falling coconuts are not required! Nor are you likely to encounter an errant Bufo marinus (aka cane toad!) – for the moment, anyway!

And generally, where there’s a magnificent beach there’s – yes, you guessed right! – a public loo with a magnificent view!
This one looks clear down to the Foreshore Caravan Park, those absolute beach front sites snaffled by Grey Nomads out of peak holiday season and school holidaymakers in. And who can blame them? That southern delicacy, the Blue Swimmer crab, is there for the taking – if the name of the month contains the letter ‘r’!!
The northern panorama up the coast beyond the jetty ensures this is one of Australia’s more expansive public amenity views – yet another great reason for a ‘business’ stop?!

But, on Stansbury Seaside market days, held during the warmer months, the view changes! Whether for better or worse depends on whether you love or loathe markets as the empty foreshore fills with stalls – and visitors from all over the peninsula.

In the cooler months – I won’t amuse northerners by referring to it as ‘winter’ – the view is unsullied by commercial enterprise! Despite the absence of anything but the Great Southern Ocean between the southern Yorke Peninsula and Antarctica, extreme cold – let alone snow – is virtually unknown there.

And what better spot to do your business than here, where a winter’s day can look something like this…

 
 
*Tropical cyclone Yasi ravaged Australia’s north-east coast in early February.  Bigger than Katrina, the cyclone left a trail of destruction extending into Queensland’s outback, and bringing unseasonal heavy rain to central and southern Australia.

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21 comments

  1. @JallieDaddy – It’s ALMOST difficult to find one in OZ without a view!! Hope you enjoyed your return visit, and can now see why this blog is the feel-good place to come!!

  2. What an amazing place you live in.
    I’d love to come visit your country sometime. I have visited many places all over the world…and I haven’t seen public toilets on the beach.
    I’d be so thankful if I had.

    Big hugs!

    B xx

  3. @Facing50 – they say a change is as good as a holiday, but that’s crap! Reread the whole blog – then you’ll feel REALLY good!!
    @Mary – Thanx so much! Pilchard & I have turned into adept convenience-spotters. Not sure if this is a gift, or an embarassment …

  4. I get such a giggle each time you add a new public facility to the series. I must say your photos of them are always spectacular. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Blessings…Mary

  5. Love coming here…I feel like I’ve been on holiday now. Oh no, just looked out on the grey skies and rain outside my window by mistake. I’ll have to reread your post to feel better again. 🙂

  6. @Kath – haha! Trust a kid to put it all in perspective …
    @River – I once spent an afternoon shelling crabs with a couple making pickled crab! I’ve NEVER eaten so much crab in my life (you know, a piece for the jar, a piece for me) – but my fingers were raw for days from the broken shells …
    @bettyl – welcome! World famous, huh? One day I may just cross the ditch and check them out for myself!! Come back anytime!

  7. I am sooo thankful for public toilets here in NZ, especially the ones on the beach! I prefer simple to the ‘world famous’ toilets in Kawakawa!

  8. Blue Swimmer crabs are the best!! I have a curry crab recipe that’s so yummy, but it really needs to be made for at least a dozen people because it’s so fiddly to make, doing it for just 1-3 people, the effort isn’t worth it.
    We do have some lovely beaches down here don’t we?

  9. We spent a fortnight in a beach house around Stansbury a few years ago when Sapphire was five. We swam, fished, did some sight seeing, enjoyed some cafes, caught up with friends etc.

    A day after getting home, she was on the phone to Grandpa. How was her holiday?
    “I saw a dead crab covered with ants.”

  10. @Manzanita – these beaches are some of the best! But there are always hazards …
    @Mags118 – this is a superb spot for a caravan park – we’ve noticed the decline in QLD over the last few years. Soon only the rich will be able to have a beachfront holiday!
    @Julia Writer – thanx for your visit! Plenty more loos to come …
    @Cate – I think you might notice it coming?!

  11. Hi Red Nomad OZ,
    Prime real estate for a loo, that’s the closest one to the beach I think I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a few with good views of the beach, but never that close, always back a bit with a few trees in the front.

    I know here in Queensland we are slowing losing our Caravan Parks by the beach, there isn’t many private ones left, mainly the Council owned ones now, lets hope they don’t decide to sell to developers as well, it would be a shame to lose these places, they are all great for families.

  12. Tranquillity at it’s best but evidently things that go bump in the night can lurk beneath the surface. You give our some warnings. Cyclones and crawling critters to falling coconuts. And everyone appreciates a loo!!!! I suppose campers feast on the crabs.Visitors are always attracted to sandy beaches and water.
    Have a lazy weekend.

  13. @Michelle – thankfully, I was well out of the cyclone’s path. Lots of damage to rainforest, beaches, infrastructure – but minimal casualties. But Queenslanders are resilient, and the climate encourages re-growth.
    @Toni – it could be that you & I are the only ones who find them fascinating …
    @Ann O’Dyne – that only works if no one tells their mates! And the PIN gets changed frequently … but otherwise yes, a good idea!
    @Dave & Shell – haha! Don’t care though, I can live without a heatwave!!!

  14. Lovely photo’s!
    Bloody cold and windy in Kalgoorlie, what is happening with our weather? I heard a great quote the other day – The Weather Gods have Alziemers ( excuse Spelling )

    Shell

  15. I am in a seaside resort and the public foreshore blocks have keypad PIN entry, so only the paying campers can use them. a good idea.
    Happy trails to you.

  16. Isn’t that beautiful?

    Esperance has some public loos on the foreshore too but it’s ALWAYS windy or raining and usually both.

    What is it with public loos? why are they so interesting?

  17. Omg I heard about that cyclone! Queensland is definitely not off to a good year. I heard that there’s no deaths though, so that’s good. I hope everyone in those affected areas are doing ok! It’s horrible how these awful things happen to such kind people…

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