Crew installing a sign on Barton Highway at Hall, ACT, October 2017. Image © Paul Rands

Welcome to the road sign photo gallery. You will find photos of current signs and also photos of vintage signs captured whilst on display or still in service.

There are 6 main categories of road signs in Australia: ¹

Regulatory signs:

Regulatory signs (Type R) are used to regulate the movement of traffic by indicating when or where a legal requirement applies, failure to comply with which constitutes an offence. For example, speed limits, prohibited or permitted movements at intersections and parking controls. ¹ Most regulatory signs are rectangular with a black legend on a white background.

stop signs (octagonal).

give way and roundabout give way signs (triangular).

speed restriction signs (symbol enclosed in a red circle).

no right or left turn signs (red slash to indicate the prohibition of a movement).

prohibitive parking signs (red legend on a white background).

permitted parking signs (green legend on a white background).

Warning signs:

Warning signs (Type W) indicate unexpected or hazardous conditions on or adjacent to the road which may not be obvious to the approaching road user. ¹ Warning signs are generally a diamond shape with a black legend or symbol on a yellow background to indicate caution.

advisory speed signs (to safely negotiate bends).

advance warning of traffic control devices (such as traffic lights).

road conditions (for example, slippery when wet).

Guide signs:

name of the road being travelled.

name of the major crossroads being approached.

routes and their number consisting of a letter and number in gold on a green background, such as M for freeway or expressway, A for a main route, B for a secondary route and C for local route.

Freeway guide signs:

Freeway guide signs (Type GE) are used to inform and advise road users on freeways of directions, distances, destinations, routes, non-regulatory traffic instructions, the location of services for travellers and other points of interest. ¹ In some states and territories, these signs may be diagrammatic to enable easier navigation and decision making at higher speeds or busy environments.

Temporary signs:

Temporary signs (Type T) are used to control, warn and guide road users safely through, around or past work sites on roads and footpaths and to warn and advise of other temporary hazardous conditions which could endanger road users. ¹

Hazard markers:

at curves in the road.

at the terminating point of an intersection.

when negotiating a narrow structure such as a bridge or culvert.

This section is compiled, from information provided by several official and unofficial sources, as well as additional content by the site author and other contributors.

This page features a collection of current / recent signs and also a collection obsolete or vintage signs still in place at the time of capture. To view each section, click or tap on a preview image below.