Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
1 day ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
2 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Kenilworth Canistrum Toilets

Canistrum Toilets

An iconic designer dunny inspired by Aboriginal fishing baskets.

Kenilworth, Australia

Added By
Mikey Burnett
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Castrinium   Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0
Castrinium   Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0
  Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0
  Mikey Burnett / Atlas Obscura User
  Mikey Burnett / Atlas Obscura User
  Mikey Burnett / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The official name for the design is Canistrum (Latin for wicker basket) and was described by its designer Michael Lennie as “an unfinished basket reflecting an unfinished history.”  The council invested in the design to attract visitors, with the idea inspired by the Hundertwasser toilet in New Zealand.

Michael Lennie's design was chosen in the Kenilworth Designer Dunny with almost 200 entries. The designs all had to take into account the seasonal flooding from the Mary River. It is intended to honor the traditional crafting of Aboriginal basket weaving (particularly for fishing) while also embracing modern materials. It uses striking colors to contrast with the native environment.

The contest to design the toilets in Isaac Moore Park was held in 2015, and work was completed on the Castrinium toilets in 2020, with only slight changes to Lennie's original design.

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Bathrooms

Community Contributors

Added By

Mikey Burnett

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 16, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.sunshinevalleygazette.com.au/blog/kenilwoth-dunny
  • https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/wicker-basket-inspired-public-toilet-design-wins-d
  • https://www.miragenews.com/work-completed-on-iconic-amenities-at-kenilworth/
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-06/kenilworth-toilet-tourism-plan/10874850
Canistrum Toilets
Eumundi Kenilworth Rd
Kenilworth, 4574
Australia
-26.587836, 152.736391
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Big Pineapple

Woombye, Australia

miles away

Dularcha Rail Tunnel

Landsborough, Australia

miles away

Kilcoy

Kilcoy, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Nearby Places

The Big Pineapple

Woombye, Australia

miles away

Dularcha Rail Tunnel

Landsborough, Australia

miles away

Kilcoy

Kilcoy, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Related Stories and Lists

23 Peculiar Places of 2023

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Colman’s temple as it is today with original public toilet building on the right.

    South Shields, England

    Colman's Seafood Temple

    Eat fish and chips in a striking Neoclassical building that once hid a public lavatory.

  • Maryborough, Australia

    Cistern Chapel

    These public toilets are a work of art.

  • Wellington, New Zealand

    Lobster Loos

    These concrete crustaceans are actually public restrooms.

  • These stunning sculptural toilets are an elevated bathroom experience.

    Matakana, New Zealand

    Matakana Toilets

    A serene, almost spiritual place to do one's business. Who knew a public toilet could inspire and awe?

  • Liverpool Philharmonic Dining Rooms toilets

    Liverpool, England

    Toilets at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms

    These rose marble urinals are the most luxurious loos in Liverpool.

  • Toronto, Ontario

    Oculus Pavilion

    A space-age 1950s pavilion on a secluded path is full of Toronto history surprises.

  • Cedar Lake’s two-story outhouse.

    Cedar Lake, Michigan

    Two-Story Outhouse

    There are two legends behind the origin of this unusually tall sanitary structure.

  • Leiden, Netherlands

    Leiden's Monumental Urinal

    This public toilet built in the famous Amsterdam School architectural style is a Dutch national monument.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.