'Welcome to Perth' sign in Sydney: Rooftop prank gives passengers flying into Sydney a scare

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'Welcome to Perth' sign in Sydney: Rooftop prank gives passengers flying into Sydney a scare

By Amelia McGuire
Updated
A client of Brad Heasman snapped this photo of Heasman's "Welcome to Perth" sign in Sydenham, Sydney.

A client of Brad Heasman snapped this photo of Heasman's "Welcome to Perth" sign in Sydenham, Sydney.

A cheeky sign atop a building complex in Sydenham is giving passengers flying into Sydney a fright with a greeting that reads "Welcome to Perth".

A photo of the sign was originally posted to a Facebook group called Frequent Flyers Australia before being posted onto discussion platform Reddit.

Brad Heasman, the man behind the sign and owner of the building, has been quietly awaiting someone to notice for the past three months.

The rooftop prank was done in road paint, making it highly visible.

The rooftop prank was done in road paint, making it highly visible.Credit: Brad Heasman

"Our complex is directly under the flight path and we always see planes flying above so I thought 'it's a bit of a laugh, why not?'" he told Traveller.

Heasman took the opportunity to play the prank while he hired local painting company Speedy Painters to paint one of his nearby buildings.

"We've used them for years and the owner loved the idea. It's painted in proper road paint, so it doesn't go unnoticed", he said.

A painter from Speedy Painters working on the prank sign.

A painter from Speedy Painters working on the prank sign.Credit: Brad Heasman

Heasman took inspiration from artist Mark Gubbins who has welcomed passengers flying into Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee with a confusing sign that reads "Welcome to Cleveland" atop his house since 1978.

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"I just figured there was no reason I couldn't do the same thing and it'd make people laugh," he said.

While first posted on Facebook, the photo really took off when it made it onto Reddit on Friday, with users making comments such as "Pilot be like, 'stupid GPS'" and "How long till there is one in Perth saying 'Welcome to Sydney'?"

The finished sign from as seen from the rooftop.

The finished sign from as seen from the rooftop.Credit: Brad Heasman

Another captured the mood by commenting, "I am exactly the type of person that would finally manage to get five minutes of sleep just before landing, wake up to this dazed and confused and freak the f--- out. Bravo," one person wrote.

One Reddit user admitted to being fooled by the gag by commenting, "Haha, I remember seeing that … I had a heart attack because I had just come from Perth".

Before last week, it had been a private joke between Heasman and his friends and clients, who have been sending him photos of the sign taken from planes.

"I've just been waiting for other people to notice, I'm surprised it took this long actually", he said with a laugh.

See also: Bali to deport influencers after fake mask 'prank'

See also: Passenger boards wrong flight and takes 3000km detour

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