Tara Lagoon toilets: Residents outraged after Western Downs Regional Council locks two cubicles off to the community

Multiple residents who were busting to use the toilet were left dismayed after the council locked half the cubicles at Tara’s new development, which is worth nearly half-a-million dollars.

Tara residents have kicked off after discovering half the cubicles at the council’s new recreational development have been locked off to the general public for paying travellers.

Community members busting to use the loo were left dismayed when they discovered only paying visitors with a code could use two out of the four bathrooms at the Tara Lagoon Parklands.

Opened earlier this year after 18-months of construction, the Tara Lagoon project valued at nearly half-a-million dollars offers the community and travellers parks, RV campsites, picnic shelters, and more.

If you’re keen for a shower and weren’t a paying traveller however, you would be forced to stand in line for the remaining two that weren’t locked off.

Tara Action Group’s Gayle Porter said the closure of these amenities was “segregation”.

The new and improved Tara Lagoon Parkland opened in May following an 18-month-long, almost half-a-million-dollar upgrade. Picture: Contributed

“A lot of local residents would use these facilities at one point because we had long periods of drought, and there was little water,” Ms Porter said.

“It’s good for the community, but now there are two toilets locked off … for me personally I think it’s a bureaucratic decision that’s not very well thought out.

“If there are four showers and four toilets, it should be first in, first served.”

Under the new system, visiting campers receive a code from the council for a fee when they arrive, and would use the toilets specified for them.

Mrs Porter believed this could lead to a “confrontation” between tourists and residents who weren’t aware half the amenities were closed to them.

“I’ve been told [the tourists] weren’t allowed to give out the codes,” she said.

“It’s not very good for the campers either to be honest, as they could easily be confronted about having their own bathrooms.

“I don’t think any of us have anything against those travelling through, but it’s just a shame something that’s built for the community, the community can’t use.”

When asked about why half the amenities had been locked off, a council spokeswoman said they had been “reserved for paying Parklands visitors”.

“Two additional public shower and toilet cubicles, plus one additional toilet cubicle will also be opened in coming weeks as the final stages of the revitalisation are completed,” she said.

“On top of the additional amenities at the parklands, the council has also opened up the amenities at the former Tara caravan park site on the corner of Baddleys Road and Milne Street for local community use.”

The council did not give specific reasons when asked why they decided to separate the facilities.

Originally published as Tara Lagoon toilets: Residents outraged after Western Downs Regional Council locks two cubicles off to the community