The Truth...

Many of my friends back in the USofA have been bombarding me for an answer to the age old question of great political and social import. A question that can only be answered by someone currently in Australia!

Does the toilet water really swirl in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere?!?

Well the answer is not as straight forward as one would think.

Did you know that most toilets in Australia do not flow with a swirling motion anymore!

Instead they are two button energy efficient commodes of flushing madness. In the models I have seen, one button is either smaller or has a half filled in circle on it, and this button is for disposal of liquid waste. The other button is larger or has a filled in circle label designating it as the button for solid waste. Why the difference? Liquid waste takes less energy and water to dispose of then solid waste.

These energy efficient toilets add a wash of water inside the bowl from all angles at once and this reduces the water needed, but it also eliminates that distinct swirl pattern that you were so curious about! (For you skeptics I have include a video clip.)