A hefty transport bill was all it took to spark a dose of classic Australian ingenuity.
Rather than pay thousands to get an outdoor toilet to Kangaroo Island, builder Alex Craig and a mate designed a raft, fired up a barbecue, and floated the “dunny” 20 kilometres across the sea.
“I’m about to start building a place over there,” he told The Epoch Times.
“And I need a site toilet. Couldn’t find one over there, so I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll take one over.’
“And yeah, I thought I could build one cheaper and take it across.”
Alex Craig’s craft floating in the seas off South Australia, alongside friend Paul Graham. Courtesy of Alex Craig
The price to cross the narrow stretch of sea from mainland South Australia to the popular tourist destination was around $2,000 (US$1,400)—too much for the builder.
Getting together with his friend Paul Graham, Craig hatched a plan to build a raft and transport the toilet from Port Jervis, through the Backstairs Passage, and alight at Christmas Cove.
The little raft comes with a portable barbecue to cook up a feast of sausages on the four-hour journey, which Craig described as “better than nothing when you’re out at sea.”
But it wasn’t all as dangerous as it looked—Craig took considerable precautions such towing a life raft behind his 6.5 metre contraption, wearing life jackets, and keeping radios on board.
“[It took] probably a day to build the raft,” he told The Epoch Times.
Alex Craig and Paul Graham pose on their raft. Alex Craig’s craft floating in the seas off South Australia. Courtesy of Alex Craig
“The dunny probably took me a couple days of here and there doing little bits and pieces.”
Craig also recommends people don’t try his antics at home.
The tradesman has a history of building, and recently opened the nautical themed beachside café, The Screaming Seagull, at O’Sullivan Beach.
It comes complete with an old wooden boat Craig salvaged and cut up to turn into a bar, outboard seats, and a motorless jet ski for the kids to have fun on.
Alex Craig’s contraption in a shed, where he used empty metal barrels to keep the device afloat. Courtesy of Alex Craig
For Craig, he goes where the tides of life take him, never missing an opportunity.
“The coffee shop that I’ve just opened up, like that was never on my radar,” he said.
“Like I’ve been a builder my whole life, really, and yeah, I never thought I’d open something like that.”
About Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is known by its nickname, KI. It is one of Australia’s most popular travel destinations, with over 200,000 visitors annually.
The island includes nature reserves, stunning rock formations, fossils, and wildlife including kangaroos and the Australian sea lion.
It’s also home to the world’s oldest bee sanctuary, which features the only pure-bred bee variety, the Ligurian bee.
