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Mile Post

Photograph courtesy National Motor Museum.

A triangular, painted timber one-mile post typical of those placed at one-mile intervals along arterial roads. The post stood for many years outside the Gumeracha Post Office with the G referring to Gumeracha and the A 16 indicating 16 miles (25.6 km) from Adelaide GPO. The post stood about 90cm out of the ground. Repainting the posts was part of regular maintenance by the Highways Department.

In general, only the main roads were given mile posts to advise travellers how far they had to go to the next ‘watering hole’. The letters on the posts were shorthand for the town or location.

Most of the wooden posts were replaced during the 1940s by triangular concrete posts with an angled surface showing the distance to the next town. Aluminium posts later replaced them.

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