Background

Wayfound was selected to complete a tourism road signage and wayfinding strategy for the Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC). This is a large shire on the southern coast of NSW. It features a relaxed lifestyle, amazing coastline and a beautiful hinterland. There is plenty to see and do but with the increasingly competitive tourism market and many tourists simply driving through the Shire on their journeys between Sydney and Melbourne, most are unaware of its many attractions and don’t stop. So, ESC had identified the need to improve information and raise awareness of its offer through signage.

Solution

Our process involved visiting the Shire, driving throughout and consulting with business operators and locals to understand the main issues and concerns about signage. We photographed signs in many locations, reviewed existing signage data and identified potential priorities for spending on signs. This included improving road signs (directional, tourism and services signs) along with visitor information signs, visitor maps, visitor centre signage and things like marketing billboards and entry statements.

We drafted a strategy which focuses on our findings, the community’s input, best practice principles and guidelines for tourism signage and recommends a way forward. The first draft of the strategy has gone to the public for consultation.

Deliverables

Draft tourism signage and wayfinding strategy.

Testimonial

Tourism operators, Councillors and  the press had identified ongoing concerns about inadequate visitor signage in the Eurobodalla Shire Council area. Problems ranged from signage clutter, incorrect signage types, missing signs, signs being installed without Council approval, etc. A particular concern was getting improving visitor information and wayfinding to encourage travellers off the Princes Highway, into the villages and towns along the coast and the hinterland to discover what the Shire has to offer.

“The Council engaged Wayfound to complete a tourism signage strategy. Agencies responsible for signage in each state have different processes and requirements, thus we had reservations about engaging a consultant who had not worked in NSW previously. 

Wayfound were thorough in their approach to understanding NSW signage requirements and clear about how signage should be used to help the visitor experience. Their understanding of how visitor signage and the visitor experience relate is reflected in the strategy.

Eurobodalla’s Wayfinding and Signage Strategy, produced by Wayfound, provides clear guidance for Council to install more effective signage and also provides clear reasons for why certain signage is not supported.

Wayfound produced quality results in a short timeframe.”

Angie Radford
Strategic Planning Officer (Environment)
Eurobodalla Shire Council