He had just visited the new toilet facilities in the revamped arcade and washed and dried his hands - the simple experience being shared with anyone in the arcade who would listen.

"They look like they have arms and the water is nice and cool, and so is the air," Ewen said.

"They have air on the side!"

Ewen tried hard to explain to visitors to the arcade how the new Dyson Airblade Taps worked and repeatedly expressed his surprise at the fact that air comes from the arms attached to the tap. Manning River Times journalist Ainslee Dennis was shopping in the arcade at the time and Ewen happily agreed to share his experience of the taps with her on video (below).

The three taps are just one of many amazing and surprising features of the new toilet facilities, according to Maurie Stack who represents the owners of Centerpoint Arcade, and he is delighted by Ewen's response and hopes the community will respond with the same positive enthusiasm.

"I was looking for schmick things when we fitted it out and so there is also one bidet toilet in the mens and womens," Maurie said.

"I think people who live in Taree should be able to use good toilets and people who visit Taree want toilets that are worth the stop, or even the reason to stop.

"I travel around NSW a great deal as Rotary District Governor and I know from first hand experience that in many towns nobody provides decent toilets. Inevitably you will find some old toilet block out the back in some park for tourists and I thought, I want better than that for locals and tourists who visit our CBD."

Maurie chose to heed the advice of renowned placemaker David Engwicht who visited Taree in June last year to meet with Maurie and the tenants of Centerpoint Arcade.

"David suggested the idea to use beautiful imagery from the rainforests of the Manning Valley and we listened," Maurie explained.

The toilet facilities feature a large photographic mural by internationally acclaimed Manning Valley photographer, Rodney Trenchard from Red Door Dynamic Imaging.

Maurie is quick to compliment the creative people in the Manning Valley who worked on the new facility.

"There is so much talent here, Brett Currie from Signs Made Simple, Matt Garland will travel to Sydney to collect glass that is superimposed with rainforest images and it will be installed ready for the Night Bazaar on Saturday.

"Charles Rose is the architect, Mark Woodward is the builder, and Linda Bryant from The Photography Hub organised five images on metal.

"If people think the toilets are wonderful then it's because of the creativity and professional skills of all those people who live in the Manning Valley."

Centerpoint Arcade tenant, Diane Wellard praised the work of Mr Stack on the Facebook page, Thumbs Up Manning Valley.

"...these toilets have taken two years of planning and seven months to build. I own the cafe next door and they are fantastic. A huge thumbs up to Maurie Stack for leading the way. Watch Centerpoint Arcade there are more changes coming to enhance this part of the town."

Greater Taree City councillor Brad Christensen said the toilet facilities "look brilliant and add so much to the arcade ... Great job. Just another example of our great town moving forward."

ainslee.dennis@fairfaxmedia.com.au