Fire in the hole! Whether foreshadowing the carnage to come after a poorly reheated bowl of chilli prawns or recalling fond childhood memories of clambering all over these old guns while pinging on Calippos, the public dunny and the public artillery piece make a fine pair.

Made on the banks of the Maribyrnong River with Australian steel, this gun harks back to a time when we had ways of defending ourselves that didn’t rely on flammable cladding or freeway signs falling on the enemy’s head.

It’s also perfectly placed should we ever have to rise up and defend this dunny against the insidious privatising force of those who would seek to have you pay for a poo! Unaustralian! Strewth!

If the military entrance is a bit too much, there’s also the tunnel of love entrance, where you can stop and smell the roses—probably a good idea, particularly upon exiting.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, we were unable to bring you photos from the inside of the dunny. Instead, courtesy of the State Library of Victoria, please accept this heritage Cann River postcard, to haunt you for the remainder of your days.


5 Comments

  1. Debbie

    Always receive lovely comments by visitors on the beautiful roses on the vanity in the loos that are a nice touch left fresh by the cleaner

    Reply
  2. Byron

    Just love the Cann Can! Our halfway stop on the way to Eden. Used to play on the “cann”on’s outside the dunny when I was a tacker. Dad told me that Admiral F.E. Seas was a rear admiral. Dad also said that these weren’t the only 25 pounders fired off here either. I see the irony in your ponsasinorum photo too. I’m guessing Mr Borrie is handy with a theodolite like myself, as only another surveyor would reference Euclids 5th proposition in Latin, being the Bridge of Asses!

    Reply
  3. Disabled Toilet Cann River: I had an occasion to need to use the disabled toilet on our trip to Bairnsdale- I was misfiled to find that the door was so hard to push as I was using a mobile walker. Very disappointed with the hand rails provided as they did not extend beyond the toilet roll holder. Without my walker there was not way I would have been able to use the toilet seat provided and had great difficulty to be able to raise myself up as no handrail use without reaching backwards. I am not sure how anyone could have transfer themselves from a wheelchair. We have used the facilities at Cann River many many times but until I needed to have a prosthesis of the right foot/leg so hence the need to use the disabled toilet this time. This is the worst set up I have ever used. Cann River stop off is great otherwise. I also used the disabled toilet at Bruhen that had the same set up but with the hand rails reached beyond the toilet roll holder making life sooo much easier. Please remedy this situation as soon as possible after all I couldn’t be the only who had a terrible experience.

    Reply
  4. Sumy

    Marenka, I too am well aware of the problem here but you need to think outside the box and plan ahead concerning your disabled dumping dilemma. My early morning travels from “Coota” to the IBS clinic in Melbourne always means unloading my night soil at Cann River. As I too suffer with a disability (tinea), my limp also requires an easy seated experience. Therefore, the bush nursing hospital is my preferred stop. Ambient temperature is always spot on and the toilet paper is 4 ply. A top-hole experience. Failing that, there are doggy bag dispensers on the river side walking track near the wooden bench seat. If the bags aren’t available you can simply straddle the end with the missing middle timber and be at one with nature. Remember Marenka, failing to plan is planning to fail. 👍

    Reply
  5. Mr. Borrie

    A very comprehensive reply. So comprehensive that I shall withdraw my referral of the above correspondence to the the Honourable etc etc, Minister for Water.

    Reply

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