PLAQUES COMMEMORATE HISTORY

A Plaque Says it All – 1922-2022

Plaques commemorate history whilst providing durability and a touch of class when marking historical events.

The plaque signage we provided in northern WA celebrates the 100th anniversary of an international scientific expedition to test Albert Einstein’s ‘curved space’ theory. A consortium of international scientists recorded an eclipse of over 5 minutes at Wallal Downs Station. Most importantly, from this they could prove the great physicists theory.

Deciding to mark this significant milestone with a plaque is a very sensible choice. Importantly for climatic reasons given the heat, cyclones and extreme weather events near Broome. The Station is in a remote location 300 kilometres south of Broome on Eighty Mile Beach.

Why Wallal Downs Station?

Wallal Downs Station was deemed ‘the most ideal place on Earth’ to view a total eclipse of the Sun and prove Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Other contenders included where the solar eclipse would be visible in the southern hemisphere included Cordillo Downs in northeastern South Australia, and Goondiwini, Stanthorpe and Coongoola in Queensland. A location on Christmas Island was also chosen by a party from the Greenwich observatory London and Bandidu on the Maldives Island was also considered.

Over 30 people converged at Wallal Downs for the total eclipse. The group orginated from the USA, Great Britain, India, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Read more about the story here.

The photographic plates taken at Wallal were the most successful of all the expeditions. As a result with perfect weather conditions the view of the eclipse was described as excellent.

With the combined effort of experts from around the world, and the perfect location in Western Australia, Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was confirmed.

More on Plaques

Plaques can be made out of many different materials. A traditional signage material, brass panels or plaques are either cast, etched, or engraved. Signs & Lines can also coat the sign to reduce maintenance and weather exposure. If you want a sign with a prestigious and luxury look, you can’t go wrong with brass. For something a bit different, and more economical, we can also create a “faux” brass look with metallic vinyl.