Road signs
Australian road signs and what they mean
All 54 signs in five groups, each one with its meaning, what you must actually do when you see it, and the signs it gets confused with.
- 54signs drawn here, none traced from an artwork file
- 54written up in full, with the action in the order you take it
- 162questions in the sign deck, covering 54 of the signs
- 5groups, sorted by shape and colour rather than by topic
Those are counts of what is in this library, not counts of people. The site has no traffic and no users, so there are no tests taken, no ratings and no reviews to report, here or anywhere else on it.
Shape and colour
How to read a sign before you read the words
Most signs can be sorted at a distance, before the legend is legible. That is the skill worth building, because it is what you actually use at 80 km/h.
| Group | Shape | Colours | Does it carry the law | What to ask yourself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory signs15 signs | Mostly round, or a rectangular plate. Stop is the one octagon in the whole group and give way the one triangle | Usually white with a red ring or bar and a black legend. A few, like the shared path sign, are white on blue | Enforceable. Disobeying one is an offence in itself. | What am I being told I must or must not do, right now? |
| Warning signs19 signs | Diamond, standing on one point, with no exceptions in this group | Yellow ground, black symbol | Not enforceable on its own. It changes nothing about right of way. | What is about to happen, and how much speed should I lose before it does? |
| Speed limit signs9 signs | A number inside a red circle. On a zone sign the circle sits inside a larger plate carrying the times it applies | White ground, red ring, black numerals | Enforceable. The number is a maximum for good conditions. | Is this number my limit, or is my licence condition lower? |
| Guide and service signs6 signs | Rectangular, often wide | Green for routes, blue for services | Mostly informational, but the road it announces carries rules. | What kind of road am I about to be on, and what changes there? |
| Roadwork signs5 signs | Diamond or rectangular plate | Orange ground, black legend or symbol | Enforceable, and it overrides the permanent signs underneath it. | What is the temporary limit, and is there a controller ahead? |
The shapes and colours are set by the Australian road rules and are plain facts. The proportions and symbols in the artwork here are our own simplified rendering, so nothing on this page is traced from an official artwork file, a photograph or another site.
The whole library, all 54 signs
Filter by group, or search by anything on the sign: its name, what it means, its shape or its colour. Every sign is in the page whether the filter is used or not.
Filter by sign group
Showing all 54 signs.
- StopCome to a complete stop at the line, then give way to all traffic and pedestrians before moving off.Regulatory signs
- Give waySlow down and be ready to stop so you can give way to any traffic or pedestrians already there.Regulatory signs
- No entryYou must not drive past this sign into the road ahead.Regulatory signs
- One wayTraffic on this road travels in the direction of the arrow only.Regulatory signs
- Keep leftPass on the left side of the sign, so keep to the left of the island or divider ahead.Regulatory signs
- No U turnYou must not make a U turn at this intersection or along this length of road.Regulatory signs
- No left turnYou must not turn left at this intersection.Regulatory signs
- No right turnYou must not turn right at this intersection.Regulatory signs
- RoundaboutDrive around the roundabout to the left of the central island and give way to any vehicle already in it.Regulatory signs
- No overtakingYou must not overtake another vehicle on this length of road.Regulatory signs
- No parkingYou may stop here briefly to drop off or pick up people or goods, but you must not park and leave the vehicle.Regulatory signs
- No stoppingYou must not stop here at all, not even for a moment, unless there is an emergency.Regulatory signs
- Bus laneThis lane is for buses during the times shown, so other vehicles must keep out of it.Regulatory signs
- Shared pathPeople walking and people riding bicycles both use this path, so ride slowly and give way to those on foot.Regulatory signs
- Pedestrian crossingYou must give way to any pedestrian on the crossing and be ready to stop before it.Regulatory signs
- 40 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 40 km/h from this sign until the limit changes.Speed limit signs
- 50 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 50 km/h, which is also the default limit in built up areas without signs.Speed limit signs
- 60 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 60 km/h from this sign until the limit changes.Speed limit signs
- 80 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 80 km/h from this sign until the limit changes.Speed limit signs
- 100 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 100 km/h from this sign until the limit changes.Speed limit signs
- 110 km/h speed limitYou must not drive faster than 110 km/h, the highest limit posted on most Australian highways.Speed limit signs
- School zoneThe lower limit applies during the times shown on school days, so slow down and watch for children.Speed limit signs
- End of speed limitThe lower limit finishes here and the normal limit for that road applies from this point.Speed limit signs
- Shared zoneThe limit is 10 km/h and you must give way to any pedestrian in the zone, because people on foot share the road with vehicles.Speed limit signs
- Curve to the leftThe road ahead curves to the left, so slow down before you reach it.Warning signs
- Curve to the rightThe road ahead curves to the right, so slow down before you reach it.Warning signs
- Crossroads aheadA road crosses yours just ahead, so watch for traffic entering from both the left and the right.Warning signs
- T intersection aheadThe road you are on ends at a road across it, so you will have to turn left or right and give way.Warning signs
- Roundabout aheadThere is a roundabout just ahead, so slow down and get ready to give way to vehicles already on it.Warning signs
- Traffic signals aheadTraffic lights are ahead, often where you cannot see them from far away, so be ready to stop.Warning signs
- Pedestrians aheadPeople often cross the road here on foot, so slow down and look out for them.Warning signs
- Children aheadChildren may be near or on the road here, so slow down and be ready for them to step out.Warning signs
- Kangaroos aheadKangaroos cross the road along this stretch, most often around dawn and dusk, so slow down and scan the verges.Warning signs
- Cattle aheadCattle may be on or beside the road here, so slow down and be ready to stop.Warning signs
- Slippery roadThe road ahead can be slippery, so slow down, brake gently and leave a bigger gap.Warning signs
- Narrow bridgeThe bridge ahead is narrower than the road, so slow down and be ready to give way to oncoming traffic.Warning signs
- Road narrowsThe road ahead gets narrower, so slow down and hold your position in the lane.Warning signs
- Railway crossing aheadA railway crossing is ahead, so slow down, look both ways and be ready to stop for a train.Warning signs
- Give way aheadThere is a give way sign just ahead, so slow down and get ready to give way.Warning signs
- Stop aheadThere is a stop sign just ahead, so slow down and prepare to stop completely.Warning signs
- DipThere is a dip in the road ahead that can hide oncoming traffic and jolt the car, so slow down.Warning signs
- HumpThere is a raised hump across the road ahead, so slow right down before you reach it.Warning signs
- Winding roadThe road ahead has a series of bends, so keep your speed down through all of them.Warning signs
- Freeway beginsFreeway rules start here, so no pedestrians, bicycles or learner restrictions that bar the freeway, and no stopping except in an emergency.Guide and service signs
- Freeway endsFreeway conditions end here, so expect a lower limit, intersections and traffic that can stop.Guide and service signs
- ExitThis is the way off the freeway, so move into the exit lane early and slow down once you are in it.Guide and service signs
- Rest areaThere is a place to pull over and rest ahead, which is the safe answer when you start to feel tired.Guide and service signs
- HospitalA hospital is ahead in the direction shown.Guide and service signs
- DetourThe road ahead is closed, so follow the arrows on these signs along the marked alternative route.Guide and service signs
- Roadwork aheadWork is going on in the road ahead, so slow down and watch for changed conditions.Roadwork signs
- Prepare to stopTraffic ahead is being held, so slow down now and expect to stop for a controller or a light.Roadwork signs
- Workers aheadPeople are working on or beside the road ahead, so slow down and give them room.Roadwork signs
- Reduce speedSlow down from here because of the work zone ahead.Roadwork signs
- End roadworkThe work zone finishes here and normal road conditions apply again.Roadwork signs
The five groups
Each group has its own page with the whole set at a readable size and what separates the signs inside it.
Regulatory signsMostly white with red or black, and usually round or rectangular. 15 signs.Warning signsYellow diamond with a black symbol. 19 signs.Speed limit signsA number in a red circle on a white plate. 9 signs.Guide and service signsGreen for routes and directions, blue for services. 6 signs.Roadwork signsOrange plate with a black legend or symbol. 5 signs.The one page study sheetEvery sign and its meaning on a single page, laid out to print on paper and to be read away from a screen.
Test yourself on signs
The sign questions put the artwork on the screen and ask what it means. They are original questions written for this site rather than an agency's published bank, and the page you land on says so.
Road signs test for New South Wales25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Victoria25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Queensland25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Western Australia25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for South Australia25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Tasmania25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Northern Territory25 questions, marked as you answer.Road signs test for Australian Capital Territory25 questions, marked as you answer.
What this library is not
It is a study aid, not a legal reference. Signs on the road can carry plates, times and exceptions that a library page cannot show, and a few rules behind these signs are set by each state and territory rather than nationally. Where that is the case the sign page says so and points you at your own agency, which is the authority on the rules you are tested on.