Perched high above Lake Eucumbene in northern Kosciuszko National Park is a flushing toilet that was built specifically for Queen Elizabeth II. It’s apparently nicknamed ‘The Queen’s Loo’ and boasts arguably one of the best views of any dunny in our fair land.
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00:00For decades, people have been telling me about a Royal Toilet, a toilet built for the Queen for her visit to view the snowy hydro scheme in the snowy mountains in 1958.
00:13And I thought it was a load of baloney, but today I've come to the spot.
00:17Right where I'm standing was the Royal Loo.
00:20It was apparently, well according to folklore at least, maybe a bit of truth to it,
00:25it was built here at Yukon Bean Lookout when they expanded the lookout in preparation for the Queen's visit in 1958.
00:34But to check on some of these facts and to try and get to the bottom of this mystery of the Royal Loo,
00:40I've tracked down Steve Brayshaw, an Amitabhi's unofficial historian who knows everything about Northern Kosciuszko National Park.
00:49And he's going to tell me all about the Royal Loo.
00:55Now Steve, this is also known as the Queen's Lookout. Why is that?
00:59There was always a lookout here, but it was upgraded for the Queen's visit when she toured the scheme back in 1958.
01:07I understand that this toilet block was built for that Queen's visit.
01:11That's correct. Supposedly she went to the loo here. Whether that's an urban myth or not, I do not know.
01:20But what we do know is it's a magnificent view and that's why the lookout was here, to see the magnificent Yukon Bean Dam.
01:27Yeah, it's a spectacular view. I believe the viewing platform was supposed to be one mile above sea level.
01:36And why isn't the toilet here anymore? Why do we just have a concrete slab and the remains of the toilet?
01:42There was a bit of toing and froing with Parks and Snowy as to who was responsible for the maintenance of it.
01:49And in the end it fell into disrepair, so the Parks put a tender out for the removal of it.
01:56And the people that had Braemar, which is just over my shoulder, won the contract to remove it.
02:04And they took all the equipment and the structure down and it's their recreation hall at Braemar now, I believe.
02:13And if you fossick around here you can find some old remnants of the toilet bowl.
02:19Maybe the one used by the Queen, maybe not, we're not sure.
02:22But you just found someone just up here on the side of the hill here.
02:28It looks like it could be part of the pan, possibly.
02:33It's a bit hard to say what it is, but it's definitely porcelain.
02:39Thanks for sharing with me some of the stories and or folklore we're not too sure about the Queen's loo here at Yukon Bean Lookout.
02:57www.yukon.ca