IT is not every day that a toilet is afforded an official opening, but then again there is nothing ordinary about the new Cow Bay facilities.

Douglas Shire Council, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation and local residents and businesses today welcomed the official opening of the new toilet facilities at Cow Bay Beach and celebrated the occasion with a community morning tea.

The previous long-standing toilet at Cow Bay Beach was removed by QPWS due to safety concerns just before Easter in 2015.

While there were initially no plans to replace the toilet, concerns raised by the local community on the impact on the environment and lobbying from Council resulted in QPWS funding the construction of new toilet facilities, to be maintained by Council.

Mayor Julia Leu said the outcome was a great example of all stakeholders working together.

“The new toilet facilities represent what can be achieved when the local community, the traditional custodians of the land and various levels of government work together towards an outcome that benefits everyone,” Mayor Leu said.

“Council and QPWS came up with a solution to build and maintain new toilet facilities, with QPWS providing Council with $80,000 for their construction and Council accepting responsibility for their ongoing maintenance.

“On behalf of Council and the local community, I’d like to thank QPWS for their commitment to support this outcome and Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation and traditional owners who were consulted on the most appropriate location for them.”