The Big Frog

That restoration note is worth more than it looks. Most roadside objects in this catalogue decline quietly and are recorded only after they have gone. Documenting a repair – with a dated image confirming it – is the opposite, and it is the kind of evidence that lets a record say an object is in good order rather than merely still present.

The Atherton Tablelands make the subject a good one. This is high wet country behind Cairns, rainforest and crater lakes, and it holds one of the richest frog faunas in Australia – including species that were devastated by chytrid fungus in the 1980s and 90s, some of which have not been seen since. Frogs on the Tablelands are not a whimsical choice; they are the region's most closely watched animals.

Whether the Pit Stop's frog was intended to mean any of that is not recorded. It is more likely simply green, cheerful and visible from the road, which is a legitimate design brief.

The fabric of it, a date, the maker and the height: unknown.