Defaced Dip Signs of Cape York
I've made a couple of trips up the Cape York Development Road to the tip of Cape York - the most recent in 2005 - nearly 10 years ago. It was then a long dusty rough road, more suited to trucks than four wheel drives and I expect it still is. Travellers on this road could drive all day and not see another person and obviously got bored. Bored enough to stop and deface the road signs. Especially the DIP signs of which there are thousands. When you drive for hours in the heat and you run out of enthusiasm for 'I spy with my little eye' it becomes an absorbing pastime to work out another clever adjustment to the next DIP sign.
On my last trip I noticed indications that the local authorities were trying to clean up the signs and change them to different wording in an effort to stop this vandalism. So I thought I should make a record of this typically Australian larrikin art form. It made a change from defacing DIP signs and gave me an excuse to stop and enjoy the country.
Here are some of my favourites. I hope some of the originals survive and that the tradition continues.
On my last trip I noticed indications that the local authorities were trying to clean up the signs and change them to different wording in an effort to stop this vandalism. So I thought I should make a record of this typically Australian larrikin art form. It made a change from defacing DIP signs and gave me an excuse to stop and enjoy the country.
Here are some of my favourites. I hope some of the originals survive and that the tradition continues.
The language on some of these images may offend. Click on image to enlarge