General News
7 October, 2026
Dunny mystery solved
THE recent Tropical Art Deco Festival antiques fair in Innisfail was, by all accounts, a roaring success.
Bargain hunters hunted, stalls overflowed with vintage treasures and volunteers worked themselves to the bone ensuring the weekend went off with a jazz-age bang.
The stage for this grand affair was none other than the iconic shire hall – the undisputed crown jewel of the town’s art deco architecture, lovingly restored at immense expense after Cyclone Larry tried to take a wrecking ball to it.
But, while the antiques in the hall were meant to be relics of a bygone era, visitors were left wondering if the plumbing had taken the historic theme a little too far.
Resident Geraldine Renneberg penned a spirited letter to The Observer’s editor, celebrating the stallholders while raising an eyebrow at the venue’s upkeep.
Expecting 20th-century glamour, attendees instead found a dim foyer ticket booth where Isaiah – the famous plaster-of-Paris bust – sat in the dark due to busted lighting.
Worse still, the upstairs ladies’ loos were completely dry.
There was not a drop of water in the basins, nor in the flush.
“I don’t know if they expected women to use chamber pots and empty the contents over the balcony onto the street,” Ms Renneberg said.
“This would be quite historical, but not very sanitary.”
With regional council rates sitting among the highest in the country, Ms Renneberg posed a fair question: before splashing big cash on flashy new infrastructure projects, shouldn’t council fix the taps first?
However, the Cassowary Coast Regional Council insists this wasn’t a case of budgetary neglect, but rather a mystery worthy of a classic whodunit.
In an official response, council offered a sincere apology for the inconvenience, clarifying that the drought in the dunny was not a maintenance failure.
Instead, an unknown mischievous soul – or souls – appears to have snuck outside and turned off the main water valve shortly before the event wrapped up.
Once staff discovered the sabotaged spigot and turned it back on, the water flowed freely again.
Council assured residents that steps are being taken to lock down the external valves to prevent future phantom plumbers from ruining the party, while also reviewing event lighting.
Read More: Innisfail