Emoji number plates are perfect for the NT’s quirky drivers

LOVE them or loath them, personalised number plates definitely grab people’s attention

A personalised number plate photographed on the back of a Territory truck. Picture: Facebook

LOVE them or loath them, personalised number plates definitely grab people’s attention.

Especially when it comes to the creative and at times flat out cheeky ones you come across driving on Territory roads.

To date there are 23,086 vehicles registered with personalised plates in the NT, making up 12 per cent of all vehicles.

This trend is surprising - those plates cost an arm and a leg in most other states.

For example living in Queensland, a seven-character personalised plate would’ve set me back a couple grand but here it’s only $189.

So it’s no wonder Territorians are opting in and adding a little character to their road-going statement of individuality.

Territorians have a great sense of humour so I’ve spotted a fair few weird and wonderful plates during my time here including ‘HIJACKD’, ‘UNSTABL’, ‘CNILE’, ‘IMLOST’, ‘BINJUICE’, ‘LEADFT’ and last but not least ‘SUKNSEE’.

Just a reminder — these are the ones that got the green light from the Motor Vehicle Registry, so god knows what other ones got rejected.

Across the state boundary, social media-loving drivers in the Queensland will soon be able to add emojis to their personalised number plates in March.

But don’t get your hopes up too high cause’ unfortunately the eggplant and poop emojis won’t slide.

Drivers there will be allowed to sport one of five faces familiar to smartphone users, including the heart eyes, laughing crying face, wink, sunglasses and smile emojis.

Given the NT’s love for personalising their plates I’m all for the idea of bringing it here too.

But we’d have to give it our own Territory flare and open the options up to at least include the good old croc emoji and maybe an alien too — as a nod of to the NT’s history of UFO sightings.

But why not go all in?

Because let’s be honest — if you were worried about looking like a bit of a toss pot you probably wouldn’t have a personalised number plate in the first place.

Even Darwin’s very own “plate lady”, Vivien Joseph said she thinks bringing in emojis could be a fun idea.

“I think it would be a wonderful because Territorians love having a bit of fun,” she said.

“Being home to so many funny number plates is one of the unique things that makes living in the Territory so great.”

Vivien has spent years of her life documenting quirky plates in the Territory.

To date she’s taken more than 12,000 pictures of rego plates and she even published a book in 2014 on some of her favourite finds and the cracking stories behind them.

“I think the popularity of these unique plates has a lot to do with the spirit of the NT,” she said.

“People just have a greater sense of freedom in the NT to not take themselves too seriously and have fun. My all time favourite find has to be ‘POOGURU’ which belonged to a bloke who was plumber.

“Another good one was SLYPIG which was from a family with the last name Cunningham.

“Living in places like Adelaide you just don’t see clever ones like that because people are more conservative and it costs a lot more too.”

But before you start coming up with ideas for an emoji number plate of your own, you might pump the brakes because the NT Government doesn’t seem keen on the idea just yet. A spokesman from the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics said: “At this stage, we are not considering emojis on NT number plates.”

But I haven’t lost hope. Someday I’ll be one of those, showing off my croc plate.

Natasha Emeck is an NT News journalist