Wisemans Ferry
When two major floods hit Wisemans Ferry in 2022, the town's ageing riverside amenities didn't survive, leaving one of the Hawkesbury's busiest boat ramps without a usable public toilet. As part of a major rebuild led by Hornsby Shire Council and co-funded by The Hills Shire Council and the NSW Government, Modus delivered a custom twin-building amenity beside the new three-lane boat ramp. Built as two mirrored Yarra-3 blocks with skillion shelters facing and joined to form a covered central breezeway, it delivers six cubicles, full accessibility and a completely off-grid design, pairing marine-grade fixtures with a hard-wearing steel structure to serve the community for decades. Head contractor Delaney Civil handled installation, with the wider facility designed by Royal Haskoning.
Built to recover from flooding, not just survive it
The old facility didn't survive the 2022 floods, so its replacement had to be ready for the next big wet. Modus buildings use non-porous, hard-wearing materials, and the prefabricated modular panels can be swapped individually if flood debris hits - so recovery is fast and a full rebuild is off the table. It's a smart move for any council managing assets on a floodplain. More on our flood-resilient design and durability approach.
A fully off-grid amenity on the Hawkesbury
With no mains sewer on this stretch of the river, the building runs completely self-sufficient:
- 7,000L septic tank plus two 10,000L concrete holding tanks
- 22,500L rainwater tank and pressure pump feeding all basins and cisterns
- No connection to town services needed
It's the same sewage holding tank approach we use across remote and semi-rural sites.
A custom twin-building design
Rather than a single block, this amenity was built as two mirrored Yarra-3 buildings with their skillion shelters facing each other and joined - creating a covered central breezeway that ties the two halves together and gives the facility real architectural presence on the riverfront. Together they deliver six cubicles, with capacity for a car park full of trailers. Each includes:
- Stainless steel pan and concealed cistern
- Knee-operated time-flow basins and grab rails
- Two universal accessible cubicles plus ambulant and standard options
- Baby change table and tactile AS1428.1-compliant signage
- Skylights over each cubicle add natural light throughout the twin structures.
Delivered by Delaney Civil for Hornsby Shire Council
Manufactured off-site and delivered as pre-clad, flat-packed panels, the building went up fast alongside the wider civil works. Its exterior pairs Colorbond Custom Orb cladding with horizontal powdercoated aluminium fascia planking over a hot-dip galvanised steel frame with marine-grade stainless hardware - built to last in an exposed riverside setting. The amenity is part of the major Wisemans Ferry Boat Ramp rebuild, project-managed by Hornsby Shire Council and co-funded by The Hills Shire Council and the NSW Government.