Title - This tells you what area and/or work the plan refers to. It also tells you who drew the plan and when it was created. You should always make sure that you are looking at the most recent version of a site plan.
North sign - This shows you which way is north. Most plans are drawn with north facing to the top of the plan.
Scale - In this case you can measure between two points using your ruler and compare the measurement with the scale provided to find out the distance involved. For example, the distance between the car park and Catchall Creek is approximately 100m.
On some plans the scale may be given as a ratio, for example, 1:2500. This means that 1 cm on the plan would equal 2500 cm, or 25 metres, on the ground.
Legend - This is the key to the plan and explains what the symbols represent. Most symbols will be specific to a particular plan and circumstances. You should always check the legend carefully.