Looking For A Sign

Forget Sightseeing, Let's Go Sign-Seeing

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "unique, funny signs". Yeah, I've shot a few of those in my time. From some very distant parts of the world, using a variety of cameras. So here we go .....

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

April 2005. Gold Coast, Queensland. Canon EOS 3000.

With my background in science and mathematics, I was intrigued by this huge street sign that pointed the way to Infinity. But there were no complicated calculations involved. Infinity is not a suburb, just the name of a nightclub. In order to get the perspective I wanted for this shot, I had to stand on a narrow median strip as puzzled drivers wondered what this crazy tourist was doing. I shot only one frame, because I figured I had nailed it.

May 1999. Juneau, Alaska. Ricoh Instamatic.

I shot this during an unforgettable cruise around the Alaskan ports. The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau has featured on my blog in the past. It has a great atmosphere, plenty of buzz and plenty of humour. This shot, taken in challenging light, shows an interesting piece of signage. The little trap says "Texas Bear Trap" and the huge one says: "Alaska Mouse Trap". In the early days of the Saloon, the owners used to send a donkey down to the wharf to attract tourists. The animal bore a sign that said "Follow my ass to the Red Dog Saloon."

You can read my teetotal guide to Alaskan pubs at Called To The Bar.


August 1999, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Ricoh Instamatic.

This is probably the most famous piece of signage anywhere in Australia. The highway sign showing camel, wombat and kangaroo contrasts beautifully with the white-grey bitumen and the crisp blue sky. Little did I realise when I did this Outback trip that I would place two chapters of my novel "Vegemite Vindaloo" slap-bang in the middle of this spectacular piece of the country I live in.


September 2006. Albury, New South Wales. Pentax K100D.

Clear blue late-spring sky. Bright red roof. Highly visible yellow signs. Does the one to the left of the TV aerial make sense to you? Does it? Really? Look again. It says "Keep Right, Mate" but the arrow points left. You can catch it at the famous Ettamogah Pub, where it is a famous landmark on the roof of a pub - along with an Aussue ute, or utility vehicle. The photograph below was taken at the same place on a stormy day last month, March 2008, and gives you a better look at the sign, through a 300mm Sigma lens.


It was harder shooting this against the dark clouds, but you can see the other sign more clearly than you can in the earlier shot. Loading Zone? On the rickety tin roof? Yeah, right! But remember - anything's possible in Australia.

September 2006. Albury, New South Wales. Pentax K100D.

This shot of the sign with the fake bullet holes was taken behind the Ettamogah Pub, near the souvenir shop. Just don't fight over it.

September 2005. Bala, Ontario, Canada. Canon EOS 3000.

I actually pulled up to shoot this photograph on a bridge over the beautiful Bala Falls in Muskoka, a region that figures in my forthcoming novel. Looks like just another sign, right? Now look at the image below, which is simply a cropped version of the original.


Despite the sign saying "Danger", there's a bloke on the rocks below the bridge, fishing in a spot he probably frequents all the time.


March 2008. Albury, New South Wales. Pentax K100D.

Remember the Queen in Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland"? The Queen who said the rule was "Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow but never jam today." This sign greets patrons (and countless tourists) at the Ettamogah Pub. And in case you think of returning the next day for several free cans of icy-cold Aussie-brewed Foster's beer, the sign will thwart you once more. It's always there!