💩 So… toileting Oz style. Where to go to the toilet while travelling Australia? This is a question I’m often asked and I’m happy to talk about it if you are! So let’s chat.

I have been travelling all my life in Australia and overseas in different ways and I’ve tested many toilet setups! Yep, hole in the ground, compost toilet, out house, flushing toilet (my favourite) to portable toilets in vans that need emptying.

While travelling Australia you will encounter different types of toilets. Thankfully, there are toilets all over Australia, and when there’s not, you can travel with your own.

So, here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve learned about toilets. Reasons to travel with a toilet and the types of toilets available while travelling Australia.

Reasons to Travel with a Toilet

There are pros and cons to everything and here’s the pros and cons of travelling with a toilet in Australia.

Pros of travelling with your own toilet

• convenience and comfort for those times when ‘nature calls’.
• compact and don’t take up too much space.
• can’t always find a clean public toilet.
• privacy.

Cons of travelling with your own toilet

• takes up space
• can be smelly
• need to know where you can empty the toilet – there is dump point information on some accommodation apps.
• can be pricey – the upfront cost and then replacing bags (if this is the type of toilet you choose).

You can purchase a portable toilet from outdoor specialist stores like Anaconda, RVCamping&Caravanning, and off Amazon. Also variety stores such as BigW and KMart.

Types of Toilets in Australia

1. Public Toilets

There are literally some 23,000 public toilets in Australia. I recently learnt this when I found that Australia has a national public toilet map, yep, a toilet map. You can access the toilet map here to find the nearest public toilet near you. It shows you where your nearest public toilet, baby change and disability toilet is.

These toilets range from really well looked after and cleaned daily toilets to smelly compost pit toilets. But when you gotta go, you gotta go. You can find them in road side service areas, truck parking bays, shopping centres and fast food joints.

2. Make Shift Toilet

What I mean by make shift toilet is the ones you make yourself by being inventive with what you have. When I started car camping, I soon learnt that a small bottle, like a juice bottle (easier for guys than girls) or Tupperware (for wees only) was great to use at night. And the container should preferably have a lid in case of any spills. Then in the morning, tip it down a toilet.

I have since progressed to a SheWee which is a great little device – check it out here. Not overly glamorous, but it does the job and has been a lifesaver on a number of occasions when a public toilet just wasn’t close by.

3. Great Outdoors – Digging a Hole

When there is no public toilet, makeshift toilet or a portable toilet available because your are off-grid somewhere, then the great outdoors may be your only option. With wees you can go behind a tree but with poos you need to be more considerate. Any toilet paper and human waste should be buried at least 15cm in the ground. I hope you have a small shovel with you! And if possible, you should choose a spot that is at least 100 metres from any watercourse, bog, bore, dam or spring. And try to stay off private land – cause you wouldn’t want someone doing it on your land!

4. Portable Toilet in an RV or Caravan

For a while I travelled without a toilet and relied on my SheWee and public toilets. Now, I always travel with a portable toilet, even while car camping. Having a portable toilet is great, especially on rainy nights or in busy park-ups where you may need to wait your turn! So if you are travelling around Australia doing the big lap or doing a road trip particularly off-grid in an RV or caravan, I definitely say taking a portable toilet is worth the space.

Now there are different types of portable toilet. Composting toilets, chemical toilets or separating toilets.

1. Portable cassette toilet

A cassette toilet looks and feels more like a regular toilet, with a seat, freshwater tank and flushing system. Waste goes into a detachable cassette below the toilet, which you carry to a public bathroom or dump station when it’s full. These are common in campervan rentals and Class B RVs because they’re compact and portable. The downside is dealing with chemicals, smells and the unpleasant job of emptying the sewage cassette.

2. Composting toilets

Composting toilets are a great choice as they separate wee and poop which really helps reduce smells and allows longer stretches between emptying. They don’t use chemicals and don’t need emptying for a few weeks but this is dependant on how many times it is used. They are a little bulky but if you are travelling Australia full-time, they are convenient and eco-friendly. They are one of the best options for long-term off-grid, camping and caravanning.

The downside is price, space and maintenance. But I think personal hygiene is worth it!

3. Chemical toilets

If you have limited space and only want a toilet for emergencies, then the classic Porta Potti does a great job. They are cheap and compact but you will need to empty them every couple of days. They can get a bit smelly, but there are chemicals to help with that. I’ve had a Thetford Porta Potti for a long time and can recommend it for car camping and short trips.

4. Separating toilets

Separating toilets are in the middle ground between a chemical toilet and a composting toilet. Very similar to composting toilets, they separate the wees and poos so you can dispose of them.

5. Dry Flush Toilet

A dry-flush toilet uses an electric bagging system instead of water, chemicals or plumbing. Each flush seals waste inside a liner, which makes disposal cleaner and helps control odour. It’s portable, water-free and can run on a rechargeable battery, but it has two big downsides: the upfront price and the ongoing cost of refill cartridges, which may need replacing every 15 to 17 uses.

6. Bucket Toilet

A bucket toilet is the simplest and most affordable option. You can buy a sturdy bucket and snap-on toilet seat. Line it with a bag, add cat litter, peat or poo powder, use it, then throw the bag away. There are also folding toilets, basically a seat on legs. This seat could be put over a bucket. This type of toilet is lightweight, affordable and great for emergencies and short-term use. Though I know people who use this type of toilet all the time when camping and caravanning.

Where to Empty Your Toilet

Portable toilets fill up, so where do you dispose of your poops and wees. While travelling, I have seen some people carry their toilet cartridge or wee bottle to a public toilet and tip it down the toilet. Yeah, that is one way. Most find a ‘Dump Point’ and dispose of their waste. How do you find a dump point? I hear you ask. Well, many caravan parks have one as do some rest areas. There is a ‘dump point app’ which you can download onto your device to help you find one. Once you are dumping regularly you will know what they look like and how to use them.

This DumpEzy I came across in a rest area in Holbrook, NSW – home of the HMAS Otway Submarine.

So….Toileting Oz Style – Where to go to the toilet while travelling Australia 💩