A History Of Melbourne's Historical Neon Signs

Little Audrey first skipped into the hearts of Melbournians back in 1936 when she became the icon for vinegar brewery Nycander & Co and was used to promote their Skipping Girl vinegar. Designed by Jim Minogue, who also designed the Nylex Clock, the sign was located at 627 Victoria Street, Abbotsford. The model for Australia’s first animated sequence sign is 94-year-old Irene Barron, who remembers skipping for hours to help designers get the rope movement right. In 1969, the factory was demolished, and the sign was sold to a used car dealership. This led to public outrage which saw a second sign made in the 1970s, and this sign now hangs at 651 Victoria Street, Abbotsford.

Sometime in the 1930s, the Herald Sun Sign was assembled above The Herald and Weekly Times premises. The sign includes nine, two-metre-high metal-trough letters that each contain white neon. In 2005, the publishers left their Flinders Street location, and the building was converted into apartments. During the relocation and restoration, several letters were stolen, and new letters had to be created so that the sign could continue to operate, and it is often illuminated.

Neighbouring the Nylex Clock on the silos is the Victorian Bitter sign. It was designed by Claude Neon and added to the building in 1970 before undergoing remodelling on two occasions in the 1980s. The sign features a green board with white metal-trough letters lit in green neon and a backlit acrylic light board on the left which displays a picture of a Victoria Bitter using 85 fluorescent tubes. In October 2011, the sign was recommissioned by Carlton and United Breweries and is still lit each night. There are currently plans underway to nominate the sign of inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register.