Stamp Bulletin Australia No. 316 May – June 2012 Underwater World Skies of Cocos Farming Colonial Heritage Australia Visualising Australia Christmas Island Ferns Olympic Games The Road to London auspost.com.au/stamps Dear Collectors Welcome to another edition There is a distinct group of of the Stamp Bulletin Australia sea molluscs found on the and the latest news about shorelines of each continent forthcoming stamp issues. but very little is known about Also included in this edition them by everyday visitors to is information about Australia the beach. Nudibranchs display Post’s stamp issue program an array of bright colours to for the 2012 Olympic Games ward off would-be predators in London and an opportunity and to draw attention to their to pre-order your Australian toxicity. They can also be Gold Medallists Collection. found at great ocean depths We anticipate a lot of interest and are the subject of our from overseas collectors Underwater World stamp issue, for this fourth release of to be released in May. It might sheetlets, especially as more be worth putting these little Olympic host countries use molluscs on your list of things © Copyright 2012 Australian Postal the instant-stamp process to watch out for. Corporation. All rights reserved. Australia to commemorate gold Post stamp designs and philatelic medal wins. Don’t forget to visit the website products are subject to copyright and may at www.australia2013.com to not be reproduced without permission. This Stamp Bulletin also keep up to date with the latest All applications for the reproduction of news, events and souvenirs as Australian stamps or any correspondence brings you an exciting new should be made in writing to: addition to the Queen’s we count down to Australia’s Diamond Jubilee product next international stamp Manager range – a prestige postal and exhibition in Melbourne – Philatelic numismatic cover featuring a Australia 2013. You’ll fi nd a Australia Post great read by Australia Post GPO Box 1777 fi rst release of a £5 coin with MELBOURNE VIC 3001 the Queen’s portrait on both resident philatelic historian, [email protected] sides. The coin was minted Richard Breckon, on the Fax: 03 9206 4142 in the United Kingdom and Kangaroo and Map stamp full details of the product series, including images of Stamp Bulletin Australia is produced by these icons of Australian Australia Post’s Philatelic Group. To the can be found on page 18. best of Australia Post’s knowledge, all philately. information contained in this Bulletin From Christmas Island to the was correct at the time of printing. Cocos (Keeling) Islands, we Australia Post will not accept any appreciate the beauty of Happy collecting responsibility for errors, oversights nature through a variety of or changes to information which may ferns and breathtaking skies. occur after printing. The availability of Never the same, the skies products advertised in this Bulletin is over the Cocos (Keeling) subject to demand, availability of stock Islands offer a range of colour or as otherwise notified from time to time. For availability of products, visit and often spectacular cloud Michael Zsolt our website at: auspost.com.au/stamps. formations at sunrise and sunset. Manager, Philatelic Where non-Australia Post products or businesses are advertised, Australia Post does not represent any association with the business advertised or the supply of goods or services by those businesses. Contents 4 Christmas Island Ferns 5 Skies of Cocos 6 Underwater World 8 Olympic Games – The Road to London 12 Farming Australia 14 Colonial Heritage – Visualising Australia 16 ONJ Cancer & Wellness Centre Appeal 20 Coins 22 Stamp Shows and Events 23 Seven Seas AVAILABLE NOW $9 the set A great addition to our range of pre-paid postcards. Available as a set or individually. (Refer to the product list for all codes) 0964607 Australian Fauna postcard set 1 May 2012 Christmas Island Ferns 60c Tectaria devexa 60c Asplenium listeri $1.20 Bolbitus heteroclita $1.20 Pteris tripartita Christmas Island is the summit of a volcanic seamount, and it features numerous species of fern. Issue highlights Tectaria devexa var. minor is a small fern with pale green fronds up to 30cm long and lives on rocks (lithophytic) Attractive se-tenant pairs are a and cliff faces. feature of this issue. The layout Asplenium listeri, or Christmas Island Spleenwort, is of the stamps on the first day cover an endangered endemic species with only a few small presents each fern facing toward populations found mostly on the eastern side of the island. the central postmark. Bolbitis heteroclita is a ground cover fern that forms low blankets under the densely shaded rainforest. Pteris tripartita, also called the Giant Brake Fern, is an evergreen, rhizomatous fern and grows under dappled light and in moist soil conditions. Technical details Issue date 1 May 2012 FDI withdrawal date 30 May 2012 Denomination 2 x 60c, 2 x $1.20 Stamp illustration Jenny Phillips Stamp typography John White and product design Australia Post Design Studio Printer RA Printing Paper Tullis Russell Printing process Lithography Stamp size 37.5mm x 26mm 1724002 First day cover (gummed) Perforations 13.86 x 14.6 Sheet layout Module of 50 no design National postmark Christmas Island, WA 6798 4 Skies of Cocos 22 May 2012 60c Old West Island Jetty $1.20 Trannies Beach $1.80 Sunset on the beach $3 Yacht Club The remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands are located 2,770 kilometres north-west of Perth in the Indian Ocean and comprise two tropical coral atolls. The southern atoll consists of 26 islands and the uninhabited northern atoll, North Keeling Island, lies 24 kilometres away. Of approximately 570 people living on the southern atoll, 86 per cent are Cocos Malays, descended from Javanese labourers originally brought to the islands in the 19th century to farm coconuts. The remaining population is European, mainly employed by the Australian government. The romance and the beauty of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are captured in its dramatic sunrises and sunsets, although ironically, colour in our sky is infl uenced primarily by impurities like dust or smoke in the air. The photographs used in the stamp designs were taken by Cocos (Keeling) Islands local photographers Karen Willshaw and Ismail Macrae. Issue highlights Each of the stamps in this issue captures the colour and vibrancy Technical details of nature’s work as it presents the beginning and the end of the day. Issue date 22 May 2012 FDI withdrawal date 20 June 2012 Denomination 1 x 60c, $1.20, $1.80, $3 Stamp photography Karen Willshaw and Ismail Macrae Stamp and Jennifer Scalzo product design Australia Post Design Studio Printer McKellar Renown Paper Tullis Russell Printing process Lithography Stamp size 37.5mm x 26mm 1727002 First day cover (gummed) Perforations 13.86 x 14.6 Sheet layout Module of 50 no design National postmark Cocos (Keeling) Islands, WA 6799 5 8 May 2012 Underwater World 60c Chromodoris westraliensis 60c Godiva sp. 60c Flabellina rubrolineata Nudibranchs are marine molluscs renowned for their fl amboyant colour patterns. They have evolved to the point where they no longer need the passive defence of a shell, instead opting for special chemical secreting glands or recycled stinging cells to keep their soft bodies intact. Nudibranchs have bright, colourful bodies that not only advertise their toxicity and distastefulness to would-be predators, but also provide near perfect camoufl age to hide their delicate bodies. They also have an amazing array of body parts, including a rasp-like “tongue”, called a radula used to scrape their food, fi nger-like cerata protruding from the back and sides, which are extensions of the gut and 1725184 Prestige booklet some even have extended mantles for swimming. They have a set of exposed frilly gills and, most strange indeed, two “nose-stalks” termed rhinophores. The rhinophores are Issue highlights perched on top of the animal’s head allowing it to smell the water for food and possible mates. The prestige booklet of this stamp issue features unique blocks of four Nudibranchs can be found in all habitats from the deepest and further information about these ocean to the shorelines of every continent. They come in fascinating Australian sea creatures. many sizes, are beautiful to behold and have developed The minisheet also features an survival strategies, which defy the imagination. embellishment. 1725126 Stamp pack 6 Underwater World 8 May 2012 $1.20 Phyllidia ocellata $1.20 Thorunna florens $1.80 Nembrotha purpureolineata CChromodorishromodoris wwestraliensisestraliensis (45mm) is endemic to Western Australian and can be found from Esperance to the Kimberley. The fl amboyant GGodivaodiva sp. (30mm) is found from Rottnest Island to the Kimberley in WA. The colour of the FFlabellinalabellina rubrolineatarubrolineata (40mm) can vary from white and pink through to red and purple. PPhyllidiahyllidia oocellatacellata (70mm) is found right around the Australian 1725002 First day cover (gummed) coast from Rottnest Island, WA to southern Queensland. The loudly coloured TThorunnahorunna fl oorensrens (25mm) is found throughout tropical Australia. NNembrothaembrotha ppurpureolineataurpureolineata (120mm), another loudly coloured nudibranch is also found throughout tropical Australia. The images used in the stamp designs were provided by Clay Bryce from Western Australia. 1725013 First day cover (minisheet) Technical details Issue date 8 May 2012 FDI withdrawal date 6 June 2012 Denomination 3 x 60c, 2 x $1.20, 1 x $1.80 Stamp photographs Clay Bryce Stamp typography Simone Sakinofsky and product design Australia Post Design Studio Printer McKellar Renown Paper (S/A) Tullis Russell (B100 s/a) Printing process Lithography Stamp size 37.5mm x 26mm Minisheet size 170mm x 80mm Perforations 13.86 x 14.6 Sheet layout Module of 50 no design 1725220 Maxicard set of six National postmark Mooloolaba, Qld 4557 7 5 June 2012 Olympic Games – The Road to London 60c AOC Team 1728130 Stamp pack 1728220 Maxicard Australian athletes have competed in all Olympic Games of the modern era.