Signs

One of our favorite pastimes driving the roads of Victoria is seeing various road signs that are truly foreign to the US. A large proportion are animal crossing signs e.g., kangaroo, echidna, wombat, and koala. Some are your warning or danger signs like no swimming – crocodiles / sharks.

Watch for Kangaroos

Koala Crossing

Check under your car for Penguins (from Philip Island)

Duh

Other signs fall under curious naming conventions for businesses such as “Dental Spa” (really? A spa for your mouth?) or, one of Marlys’ personal favorites, “Aussie Indian Trendy Cuisine” Restaurant (friends and family that have visited will likely recall us pointing this place out), We’ve never eaten at the Aussie Indian Trendy Cuisine restaurant but we can certainly understand a food craving when having plain old Indian or merely Trendy Aussie food will NOT satisfy!

Last year the highways were dotted with massive, “DOB IN A HOON” signs. To “dob in” means to inform or tell on. In Australia a “dobber” (also known as a “dibby dobber”) is a tattle-tale. Hoon is a shortened version of hooligan. So the sign urging motorists to ‘dob in a hoon’ translates to, “if you see a reckless drivers, please call police!”

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=15478

This latest sign was a from our trip to Queensland. It speaks for itself...unless of course you have no idea what a bandicoot is....