AUSTRALIAN cultural treasures from the 18th to 21st centuries, housed in some of Australia’s unique and significant museums and collections will feature in a new Australia Post stamp issue.
Australia Post’s Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt says, “the Collections Australia stamp issue celebrates the important artefacts preserved and exhibited in museum collections nationally. The objects depicted in our Collections Australia stamp release point to our rich cultural heritage and the value of preserving and exhibiting it. We believe this stamp issue will fascinate museum patrons, collectors and those with an interest in heritage.”
Designed by Gary Domoney of Melbourne design studio Visua, the four domestic base rate 70c stamps feature the following objects:
- HMB Endeavour anchor. Held in the NMA collection, Canberra, and on display at the James Cook Museum, Queensland, the anchor represents Britain claiming Australia’s east coast. When the Endeavour struck an outcrop of the Great Barrier Reef in 1770, the wrought-iron anchor was discarded with other heavy matter to free the ship. It was eventually salvaged in 1971.
- Replica of the “Welcome Stranger” gold nugget. Held in the collection of the Gold Museum at Sovereign Hill, Victoria, this replica nugget represents the gold rush history. The original was the largest-known alluvial gold nugget found during the gold rush era. Found near Dunolly, Victoria in 1869, the nugget had to be broken into three to be weighed – it weighed 66 kilograms (2284 troy ounces).
- Model automatic totaliser. Held in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, this model, designed in 1907–13 by George Julius, was conceived as a vote-counting machine. The first full-scale mechanical totaliser was adapted to calculate accurate on-course tote-betting, eliminating the existing labour-intensive manual system. It represents a significant advance in design and technological invention.
- Turtle. Held in the Australian Museum collection, Sydney, this 2012 work is by Indigenous artist Ellarose Savage. It is made of lost and/or discarded fishing nets (ghost nets), which drift with ocean currents, trapping and killing marine animals and damaging sensitive corals. Ghost net art represents a creative Indigenous response to a pressing environmental hazard. Savage is represented by Erub Arts, at Darnley Island (Erub), in the Torres Strait Islands.
This stamp issue includes a minisheet, first day cover, stamp pack, roll of 100 x 70c self-adhesive stamps, designed gutter strip of 10 x 70c stamps and a set of four maxicards. The ‘Collections Australia’ stamp issue will be available from Tuesday May 19 at participating post offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps
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