Little Blue Lake: One of Australia's 'hidden gem' tourist hotspots is ruined by visitors performing a disgusting act
- Concerned residents lobby for toilet facilities
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One of Australia's 'hidden gem' tourist hotspots is being ruined by visitors 'taking a dump' at the popular swimming hole.
Locals say the lack of toilets at Little Blue Lake on the the Limestone Coast, in South Australia's south-east, is becoming a big problem.
Little Blue is a picturesque sinkhole nestled in a paddock between two dormant volcanoes, Mount Schank and Mount Gambier.
Stairs and a floating pontoon have been built by the water's edge to improve public safety and access, but there are no public toilets available.
Locals have said the lack of toilets at Little Blue Lake on the the Limestone Coast, in South Australia 's south-east, is becoming a big problem
Graham Kilsby raised the issue at a Grant District Council meeting last week.
He owns and manages the nearby Kilsby Sinkhole, and has been going to Little Blue since he was a child.
Mr Kilsby said he's received a lot of tourist feedback from visitors who all felt toilets were a necessity there.
'I think what broke the camel's back for me is that we had a customer just recently who went down and saw somebody taking a dump in the cutting under an apple tree near the water's edge,' he told The Advertiser.
'People tend to spend most of their day there, or a number of hours, so without a toilet, it's not hard to imagine where those people are weeing.'
Stairs and a floating pontoon have been built down by the waters edge to improve public safety and access, the only thing it's missing is a toilet
Ockert Le Roux, a local photographer who visited the lake over Easter, said he was 'appalled' by what he saw.
He said the lack of restroom facilities to accommodate up to 1500 guests a day is concerning.
Mr Le Roux is urging the relevant authorities rectify the toilet situation, explaining that it poses a significant health risk.
The Mount Gambier and District Residents and Ratepayers Association said they had received 'disturbing' reports about large amounts of human excrement in and around the tourist hotspot.
The Mount Gambier and District Residents and Ratepayers Association said they had received 'disturbing' reports about large amounts of human excrement in and around the tourist hotspot
The site's carpark and the road out to the sinkhole may also need an upgrade, with Mr Kilsby explaining there's often a lot of overflow from the carpark during the summer months.
'It's a matter of both health and preserving the beauty and quality of the sinkhole and its surroundings,' he said.
Mayor Kylie Boston said the Little Blue Lake is under the care and control of Council, however most of the car park area is Crown land under the care and control of the Department for Environment and Water (DEW).
'Any toilet block at the site would need to be situated on the land controlled by DEW to ensure that waste disposal requirements are assessed as part of a development application,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'Consideration will also need to be given to the cost of the infrastructure as there is quite a high continuing cost of maintaining these facilities.
'We understand the Little Blue Lake is very special and we need to take care of it so Council will be holding a workshop in the next couple of months to discuss the facilities requested, management and tourism value of the Little Blue and other sinkholes.'
