There is nothing more iconic about a road trip than the McDonalds signs you pass on your journey. They elicit feelings of repetition, starvation and perverse excitement – essentially all the sensations that are associated with driving for long periods of time.
The inhabitants of the Northern Territory, then, must be at a total loss right now, because a highway Maccas sign near Katherine has been stolen, having allegedly been “sawn off” by the perpetrator.
The sign has been described as a “beacon of hope for those travelling from Darwin to Katherine” by the store licensee Vicki Lettice and manager Lorraine Wyli, who either wildly overvalue the impact of their Maccas or live in a place where people really, really like big gross burgers.
McDonalds are clearly very committed to the cause, and they are going above and beyond on this one. They are offering 41 Big Macs to whichever humble investigator sources the sign first.
Why 41, you wonder? Well, the proud battlers at Maccas thought they should honour each and every one of the 41 long kilometres between Darwin and Katherine. Real deep.
The Katherine Council, Department of Infrastructure and Construction and local police are also on the prowl, and have collectively opened up an investigation. It’s good to know this is being taken as seriously as it deserves to be.
To the stealer of the McDonalds sign: whoever you are. If you are reading this, I implore you to turn yourself in if you want 41 Big Macs. Alternatively, disappear forever, because this is one hell of a hilarious mystery that I don’t really want to be solved.
And, to be honest, the reward of enough Big Macs to have every day for like six weeks will have all NT-ers as motivated as Tony Abbott on the lookout for a fresh onion.
Source and photo: The Sydney Morning Herald.
