Renay Brownlow is one of many business owners on Port Kembla’s Wentworth Street calling for accessible public toilets. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
If you’re planning a day’s shopping on Port Kembla’s Wentworth Street, you’d better have a powerful bladder.
The only public toilets available in the suburb are located well away from the main street, at Coomaditchy Lagoon and by the beach.
The main street has enjoyed a revival over the past few years, with business owners and members of the community working hard to create a vibrant, welcoming centre.
The lack of accessible public toilets has put a handbrake on the area’s potential growth according to the Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce, however.
The chamber recently made a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Public Toilets, and said the suburb had been waiting for the amenity for about a decade.
The need was first identified in 2016 when Wollongong City Council secured a grant as part of the Port Kembla Community Infrastructure Funds to prepare the Port Kembla 2505 Revitalisation Plan.
Renay Brownlow owns All Occasion Flowers by Renay, and has operated on Wentworth Street for about 20 years.
A member of the chamber, she said businesses and the wider community were affected by the lack of accessible public toilets – and the cost wasn’t just financial.
“People have defecated in the street over the years; it’s not pleasant,” she said.
“We don’t have an Apex or Lions park like many communities do, so we don’t have a toilet.
“It’s hard for mums with little kids or the elderly especially.
“The main street has all the practical everyday businesses people need to do their shopping without a major centre.
“There are three bus stops along it so they don’t have to walk miles, it’s a 40 zone so it’s safe to cross the street, but there’s nowhere to use the bathroom.
“It makes it tough to hold community events too, because one of the first questions you have to answer is where the waste facilities are. Any grant money we get, a big chunk goes towards providing toilets.”
The Wentworth has often opened up their bathrooms for public use, especially on special occasions such as the annual Halloween Port Kembla Fear Fest, the November Christmas markets and the Port Kembla Street Festival.
Renay said other local businesses appreciated the owners’ generosity, but said it was tough on them to bear the cost of providing supplies, maintenance and cleaning.
It also wasn’t a long-term solution, especially for events.
“It stops us from making Fear Fest or the Christmas markets bigger and better; it puts a handbrake on lots of things,” Renay said.
“We’ve got this revitalisation, we’re spending money to bring people in, we have beautiful lights down the street and near the courthouse now but nowhere to use the bathroom.
“If I’m planning a day out with the grandchildren it’s one of the first things I think about.
“We can’t bring people in with all these lovely attractions if we can’t provide a basic necessity.”
