MP keeps pushing for toilets at arch

CORANGAMITE federal member Sarah Henderson has made a spirited defence of her push to have toilets installed at the Great Ocean Road memorial arch in Eastern View.

The Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee’s master plan for the arch – a popular destination for international tourists – does not contain toilets; a position supported by the Aireys Inlet and District Association (AIDA) but opposed by Ms Henderson.

GORCC’s strategy is to direct visitors to the existing toilets along the Great Ocean Road to address issues at the arch, but in response to questions at a community forum she co-hosted in Aireys Inlet at the weekend, Ms Henderson said she “vehemently disagreed” with both GORCC and AIDA. “I know not everyone agrees with me, but when people are using the bushes to go to the toilet at Eastern View, that is totally inadequate.”

She said the number of tourists along the Great Ocean Road was increasing, and the memorial arch was already drawing crowds.

“If you don’t provide proper facilities, they’re going to stop anyway because it is the historic beginning of the Great Ocean Road.

“Saying to a bus of tourists ‘you can stop here but make sure you stop at Anglesea as well’; that’s sort of not practical.

“When I was running the Great Ocean Road summits, the biggest issue was the lack of toilet facilities.”

She said some kind of “sustainable solution” in terms of toilets had to be found for the arch.