The popularity of a little blue boat shed in Perth has prompted a local council to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on public facilities.
The Perth City Council will reportedly fork out $400,000 to build public toilets at the Crawley Edge Boat Shed due to a boom in visitors to the picturesque attraction, prompting a Perth-first, in a move that will see the city build its very first solar-powered loos.
Found on the Swan River, the Crawley Edge Boat Shed – reportedly the most photographed building in Perth – has become an international hit with Instagram influencers and tourists from around the world.
As a result of the increase in popularity, The Perth City Council said the boat shed has seen an influx of “tour buses as well as self-driven visitors” stopping at the boat shed for photos, as reported by news.com.au.
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However, businesses in the local community aren’t quite as positive about the bump in tourism to the area, with complaints of an influx of “rude, disruptive and verbally abusive” tourists visiting restaurants close to the boat shed.
Apparently it is because visitors need to use the loo and not because they want to spend money in local businesses.
“The closest public facility is located at the Narrows Gardens which is 2.4 kilometres away,” the council noted in its 28 May minutes.
The toilets will be Perth’s first ever solar-powered loos, but it has been reported that it could cost the council an extra $20,000 each year to maintain.
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The boat shed is 900 metres from The University of Western Australia’s Crawley campus and similar distances from private facilities at The Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery and local restaurants.
The council hopes the facility will better accommodate visitors photographing one of the city’s most photogenic buildings.
“The construction of the proposed facility, with appropriate signage at strategic locations, will allow visitors to the area the respite they need, without exhausting the current business facility’s capacity,” the council told news.com.au.
