Town Entry Signage

The City of Port Lincoln invited the community to complete a short survey on the preferred design for new town entry signs, which will be installed at Proper Bay Road, Western Approach Road, and Flinders Highway, Port Lincoln.

At the 18 November 2024 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council resolved to endorse the public release of two draft signage design options for community consultation and comments. Town entry signs at these entrances is a long-standing action for Council identified in the City Image (Urban Design) Action Plan 2017 and Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2021-2022. These signs incorporate both Barngarla and English language, reflecting Council's commitment to reconciliation and cultural recognition.

The design was created by Jenna Richards, a practicing Barngarla artist living in Port Lincoln. The sign depicts the coastline of Port Lincoln and the surrounding farmland.

Jenna tells us the story of the design:

"The traditional Barngarla name of Port Lincoln is Galinyala, meaning Place of Sweet Water and the rock holes depict the freshwater spring that they shared with new settlers on the peninsula foreshore of Galinyala that stopped the newcomers from perishing.

The horseshoe shapes represent First Nations and other community members working together in harmony. The circles represent the fish traps that were scattered along this coastline and were essential to the Barngarla people. The men would ‘sing in’ sharks and dolphins whilst the women danced on the beach to attract the prey, they would then be lured into the fish traps, this tradition is unique to the Barngarla peoples of the lower Eyre Peninsula.

Port Lincoln (Galinyala) is known for its natural abundance of resources."

Standing at 1.4 metres wide and 3 metres high, the sign concept has been prepared with reference to Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) guidelines for entry point signs. The dual-language signs are designed to create a welcoming and visual feature at Port Lincoln's key entry points.

The two design options are shown below or you can view the designs separately in the Key Documents section on the right:

The community were asked to share their thoughts on the preferred design by completing the online survey or by submitting a hard copy.

Hardcopies of the survey were made available at the Council Office and Port Lincoln Library during the consultation period.