In any city there are certain signs and places you walk past all the time—the milk bar, a record store, a building. Years go by and it’s still there, like an old friend. You get older, visit less frequently, but it’s comforting to know the old haunts remain. Then one day, suddenly, it’s gone. You thought it would be there forever. But it’s not. Many of these old signs and spaces are lost forever…others have found a new home at CMAG. Come on a trip down memory lane and rediscover the Canberra of your past.

Sign of the Times is an exhibition of Canberra signs representing a history of life in the capital, from the early 1900s to the present day. See signs and hear stories from some of our most recognisable and fondly remembered establishments and places including the Brickworks, Electric Shadows, the Cotter, Impact Records and many more.

Explore the Sign of the Times exhibition mini-site for more about these signs and their place in Canberra's history.

Image:
Sign and screen of the Sundown Drive-in, Canberra, 1970
National Archives of Australia