The following information has been reproduced with permission from the book
‘RURAL‘ (R U Ready for A Life Change), page 50, by author Bernie Webb.
RURAL-Rural-Numbering.pdf (PDF 249KB)
When land is first subdivided, each property is initially given a Lot number as its identifier. If there is more than one subdivision in the same road, occasionally the same Lot number may be used more than once, which can lead to much confusion. In suburbia, Lot numbers are eventually replaced with House numbers which are sequential numbers running from the start of the street to the far end, odd on the left and even on the right. The start of the road is usually considered to be the end of the road closest to the local post office.
As Rural and Special Rural properties are so much further apart, a Rural Road Numbering Program based on a proven model, has been introduced throughout Australia and has significant advantages for property owners / residents in rural areas, their visitors, emergency services and Australia Post.
Rural property numbers (or rural numbers) are based on the distance of the entrance to a property, from the start of the road. Just like suburbia odd numbers are on the left and even numbers are on the right. Simply add a zero to the end of a rural number to indicate how many metres from the end of the road to the entrance to the property. For example, the number 78 refers to a property on the right-hand side of the road 780 m from where the road begins. Number 1025 is on the left 10.250 km from the beginning of the road.
The rural numbers are normally displayed as white reflective numbers on a green background fixed to a galvanised star picket and erected adjacent to the property entrance in a position that is highly visible from the road and can easily be viewed from both directions along the road.
As rural numbers are crucial for emergency services to locate you in an emergency, be it life threatening, fire etc., it is imperative that the numbers remain clearly visible, that you understand their significance and that they are used to identify your location. Do not use lot numbers or RMB numbers (which don’t tell emergency services anything) once a rural number has been allocated to your property.
I have found that a large number of people who live in Special Rural areas (especially those that have just moved from the city) do not understand how rural numbering works and its importance in an emergency. Now that I have explained it to you, please pass this information on to others, it might save a life, maybe even yours!
