Sydneysiders were left busting and stranded on Sunday night as they packed into the city for the iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
After the City of Sydney spent $7million on the main event, attendees of all ages were frustrated there was no investment in an appropriate amount of portaloos.
Party-goers were waiting in line for up to 90 minutes to use the bathroom, and at The Rocks, there was a queue about 1000 people long for the loo, The Daily Telegraph reported.
New Year’s revellers were left outraged – and busting – in Sydney’s city centre, as they discovered the number of portaloos did not match up to the heaving crowds
Attendees were waiting in line for about 90 minutes on Sunday just to use the toilet
As people became more desperate to relieve themselves, tolerance for line-cutters hit a deep low, and those who could wait no longer dashed to the bushes.
Cheree Mitchell, who had come from Broken Hill to see the fireworks display over the Harbour, said not only was the wait long, but the toilets were unacceptably dirty.
‘The toilet I just used — seriously they need to put a bomb through it — it is disgusting,’ she said.
Ms Mitchell said it was her first time in Sydney on New Year’s Eve, arguably the busiest night of the year for the city, and the Council should be ‘ashamed’ at how the toilet situation was handled.
Another woman, a tourist from the UK who described herself as ‘elderly’, said spending such a lengthy amount of time standing in a line had caused her physical pain in her back.
At one point, a queue of about 1000 people had formed for the bathroom in The Rocks (stock image)
Tourists from overseas and other parts of the state were disgusted at the lengthy wait times
On Monday morning, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she was sorry for the bathroom debacle on New Year’s Eve, and said there would be more portaloos throughout the city next year.
‘Look I’m sorry if people had to queue to go to the loo,’ she said.
‘I guess that’s a lesson we will learn for next time – more portaloos.’
The bathroom problems were not unforeseen. Last month, Time Out released a list of public bathrooms that would be accessible on New Year’s Eve.
Bathrooms from Wooloomooloo to Wynyard were listed, as well as five in Hyde Park.
The publication also took the time to note the city train stations that would leave their bathrooms running all through the night.
Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore apologised and said next year there would be more portaloos