Signs of the times: the stories behind Australia’s biggest and best-loved billboards

The Coca-Cola sign at Kings Cross has hit its 50th anniversary – but other big ads around Australia have even older tales to tellGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailOne of Sydney’s most renowned signs – and the largest billboard in the country – has received a makeover to mark its 50th anniversary. At 41 metres wide and 13 metres high, the Coca-Cola sign at Kings Cross presides over one of Sydney’s busiest thoroughfares, William Street, and has widely been regarded as the gateway to the inner city enclave since it was the epicentre of Sydney’s bohemia in the 1970s.The world’s most popular carbonated beverage (the estimated worth of the brand is more than US $33.17bn) is still going strong after more than 140 years. But other distinctly Australian household brands – and their enduring advertising symbols – date back even further. Continue reading...

Feb 23, 2025 - 15:01

Signs of the times: the stories behind Australia’s biggest and best-loved billboards

The Coca-Cola sign at Kings Cross has hit its 50th anniversary – but other big ads around Australia have even older tales to tell

Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

One of Sydney’s most renowned signs – and the largest billboard in the country – has received a makeover to mark its 50th anniversary. At 41 metres wide and 13 metres high, the Coca-Cola sign at Kings Cross presides over one of Sydney’s busiest thoroughfares, William Street, and has widely been regarded as the gateway to the inner city enclave since it was the epicentre of Sydney’s bohemia in the 1970s.

The world’s most popular carbonated beverage (the estimated worth of the brand is more than US $33.17bn) is still going strong after more than 140 years. But other distinctly Australian household brands – and their enduring advertising symbols – date back even further. Continue reading...