Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Amazing World of Australian Roadsigns



So Australia strikes again at LEZ!

This time we would like to illuminate you about one of the most striking aspects of the Land Down Under, especially when visiting the country as a tourist. We are not referring to beautiful Sydney with its Harbour Bridge and Opera House, neither are we talking about Ayers Rock in the centre of the country nor the beautiful fauna found at the Great Barrier Reef. Today we’ll be dealing with Australian road signs!

As in any developed country, signs of notice, stop, caution, danger, obedience, emergency, safety and many others may be found in Australian roads. In any case, the most popular ones are those regarding caution and danger.  Most of them are diamond shaped, with a black picture or message on a yellow background.

And here it comes the interesting part. While in Spain drivers must be aware of “cows” or “deers” (at most), Australians were eager to show the wide variety their fauna has to offer. Hence, they designed funny caution and danger road signs with pictures of various Australian animals on them:




Now judge yourself and make your own comparisons. Cows and deers in Spain while kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils, cassowaries, penguins, crocodiles, camels, platypuses, and a long etcetera in Australia

But hey, don’t get confused! Who said koalas were all the same? In Australia, road signs designers have plenty of creativity to create a design that fits every taste. If you don’t believe me, look at the following signs (they all suggest the same but with a different look):


Australian people are highly concerned about animal safety. That’s why they make drivers and pedestrians aware of the smallest and most defenceless creatures inhabiting their country. Don’t we have turtles or ducklings in Spain? Yes, we do. However, we are happy with our monothematic “cows and deers” road signs and forget to create others like the ones below:


And, again, mummy duck may have one, two, three or four ducklings (including a little one and another  eager to escape flying).


Are you speeding? In case you’re a bad driver who goes on hitting cassowaries, kind Australian people would remind you of the consequences:


To end with this amazing world of Australian road signs, we would like to show you our favourite. The Frilled-Necked Lizard road sign, an animal which inhabits mainly the north of the country. It reminds me of something... don’t you think so?


Yes, you are absolutely right!! The spitting lizard from Jurassic Park!!


 No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

11 comments:

  1. Thank God I happen to know the author of this post and I trust her... or I would not believe those traffic signs really exist... ;)

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  2. ¡Qué bueno! No tenía ni idea de que existían todas estas señales allá por la otra punta del mundo. Sin duda me quedo con la de Mamá Pata y su/sus un-dos-tres patitos.... aunque la de After - Before también tiene su punto! Cada día te superas más Raquel LP. Mes plus sincères félicitations!

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    Replies
    1. "Mes plus sincères félicitations!", Ana? Well, this blog is in English, not in French... :)

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    2. Qué más dará (digo yo) un félicitations que un congratulations, ¿no? Al fin y al cabo lo que importa es el artículo y lo interesante de su contenido. No obstante, tomo nota: Ana, blog en inglés; blog en inglés...

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  3. jajajaja It's a good review of Australian animals!!! Most of them unknown for us. If I had to drive in Australia I would enjoy with theese signals!! I like the flying ducky jaja.

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  4. Hehehe,the ones including ducklings are superb! And I'm afraid that Ana is fine with reading in English but not so with writing (French-Spanish translator, with English as her language C), hence the comment :S

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  5. Wow! This is other of the wonderful things of Australia. My sister has been in Sydney, and now I have two of this roadsings in my window -crocodile and kangaroo-

    Frilled-Nekced Lizard is so great xD

    I thing...if Spanish roadsings were more creative we could save a lot of animals in the road, and the drivers wood pay more atention :)

    ~Melanie

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  6. Oh! I forget it:
    Raquel, do you know the TV programme ''Border Security''? It's in Discovery Max, and is about Australia's front line control in the airports (beocouse I see that you like ustralia ;) )and I love it hahah

    ~Melanie

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  7. Melanie, I'm afraid that the only programme I watch in Discovery Max is "How is it Made", which is pretty good, by the way :D In any case, I'll have a look at "Border Security" some time :) And yes, I'm madly in love with Australia ;)

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  8. Who am I?!?!?! PLATYPUS!!!! jaja http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-78YVagetz4

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  9. These signs are very funny, but if I were a driver I would look at the signs and not at the road!

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