Signage policy to show the way in Torquay

A NEW strategy under development from the Surf Coast Shire aims to help locals and tourists alike better navigate their way around Torquay.

At their meeting last month, councillors endorsed the draft Torquay Wayfinding Signage Strategy and Design Guidelines, which are now on public exhibition for six weeks.

The strategy states there is a lack of signage for wayfinding – essentially, the sense of knowing where you are and knowing where you want to go – in an overall cluttered signage landscape across Torquay, which has created “a fractured experience and lack of awareness of pathways, connections and significant points of interest, for residents and visitors”.

The shire began the project in 2021 with support from a state government grant, and an audit identified three key issues:

• Disconnected precincts and places – a lack of wayfinding signage used throughout Torquay, which negatively affects the ability to identify key areas and significant points of interest
• Lack of cohesive identity and competing place identities – the existing signage uses different colours, typography, council logos and visual icons, which reduces continuity of the collection of existing signage, and
• Illegible environment – instances where signage held too much information, which reduced readability and clear interpretation, and also a generally “cluttered” feel across the signage landscape (too many signs).

 

According to the report presented to the council, the strategy will guide the future development of wayfinding signage within Torquay.

“The signage connects significant precincts of Surf City/Baines Crescent, Bell Street, Torquay North and natural assets being the foreshore, Taylor Park and the Surf Coast Walk, while improving connections across the township to help residents and visitors to navigate wayfinding and encourage them to turn off the Surf Coast Highway,” officers stated.

The draft strategy makes several recommendations for the signage, including:

• Create a better sense of arrival that ties into Torquay’s character and the shire’s branding, keeping text or messaging such as “the home of Australian surfing/The start of the Great Ocean Road” to “set the tone of the town”
• Work with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to incorporate dual language place names and/or Welcome to Country wording, artwork and/or elements on gateways and identification signs, and
• Create a consistent information layout hierarchy used across all typologies.

Speaking at the meeting, Cr Rose Hodge welcomed the areas to be covered by the strategy.

“It’s a really good precinct to start off with onhow do we get rid of all the excess signage, how do we do good, attractive, conforming signage, and people can give feedback to us,” she said.

“We really want to make sure that we do this well, so that people know where they’re going.”

The council will consider adopting the final Torquay Wayfinding Signage Strategy and Design Guidelines at a future meeting.