2002

Roughly 30 years after Captain Cook's famous voyage, much of Australia's coastline was still uncharted. Both the French and the British sent expeditionsto find out more about the country and to complete their maps.

The expeditions were led by Nicolas Baudin of France and Matthew Flindersof Britain. The two great men crossed paths on 8 April 1802 near the South Australian coast. Flinders named the place Encounter Bay.

In those days, before the camera was invented, expeditions had scientific

artists who drew the thousands of animals and plants captured and collected during the expedition.

These two stamps include some of those scientific drawings as well as other historical material, including the portraits and signatures of the two captains and maps.

On 4 April, the French postal service (which is called La Poste) will also issue stamps about this historic meeting. Their stamps will feature the British and French ships against a map of Australia.

Issue date 4 April 2002

45c

Solve this puzzle to find the name of Captain Flinders' ship.

To solve this puzzle write the name of each picture in the row the picture points to, then read down the letters in the shaded squares to discover the name of the ship used in Matthew Flinders' expedition. This is a tricky one. The name is not mentioned in the magazine article! (The solution is printed on page 7)

Au

stra

lia

$1.50

Flind

ers

- Bau

din,

Enc

ount

er B

ay 1

802

Joint issue with France2002 Au

stra

lia

45C

Flind

ers

- Bau

din,

Enc

ount

er B

ay 1

802

Joint issue with France2002

International Panoramas

From its mountains to its deserts and its wide brown plains, Australia is a land of sharp contrasts. These stamps capture some of these contrasting landscapes in vastly different areas of Australia.

The 50c stamp shows the paddle steamer Coonawarra on the majestic Murray River in South Australia. Paddle steamers have carried cargo along the Murray for more than 100 years, although nowadays they carry tourists, who also come to explore the Murray's wildlife, vineyards and historic towns.

The $1.00 stamp features the lush greenery surrounding Mt Roland in Tasmania.

The desert meets the sea on the $1.50 stamp, at Cape Leveque in the far northwest of Western Australia. Cape Leveque, which was named by Nicolas Baudin (see page 2), is famous as the site of Australia's largest tsunamis (tidal waves).

Each stamp carries the words 'International POST', as these stamps are for mail sent to overseas destinations.

Issue date: 1 May 2002

Baudin named Cape* Leveque after Pierre Leveque the hydrographer on the Geographe. A hydrographer is a map maker, who charts bodies of water and their adjacent shores.

Although Flinders had his way with South Australia's Spencer Gulf** and Gulf St Vincent, which Baudin wanted named ‘Golfe Bonaparte’ and ‘Golfe Josephine', Baudin has his way with Joseph Bonaparte Gulf (NT) and the Bonaparte Archipelago (WA). Baudinhimself is remembered in Mount Baudin,

TAS and Baudin Island, WA. Can you find Geographe Bay, Channel and Reef (all in WA)?

It might be a town, bay, passage, peak, reef, rock, shire, mount, island or isthmus, but there is a Flinders somewhere in every Australian State. What is it in your State?

*Cape: a point or head of land projecting into a body of water.

**Gulf: a large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land.

The Great Sandy Desert lies more than 900 kilometres north-east of Perth. Summer daytime temperatures there are some of the hottest in Australia, averaging between 38 and 42 degrees Celsius. These stamps feature some of the inhabitants of this vast desert region.

A very hardy plant, the Desert Star Flower on the 50c stamp lives on red sand, gravelly clay, sand dunes and rocky hillsides.

The Bilby on the $1.00 stamp is a shy nocturnal creature. It escapes the heat by hiding in its burrow which spirals deep into the earth.

The $1.50c stamp shows the Thorny Devil, whose Latin name Moloch horridus sounds like he should be a character in a Harry PotterTM book. Although he looks scary, this prickly character is harmless.

The large $2.00 stamp shows thebeauty of the Great Sandy Desert with all its gorgeous colours and contrasts.

Did you know?

This is the fourth stamp issue in the Nature of Australia series. Each issue features a different Australian habitat showing animals and plants found within that environment. The first

Nature of Australia stamps, featuring a eucalypt forest, were released in 1996. You can check out the whole set in a

stamp catalogue in your library.

Issue date: 4 June 2002

45c

Every year Australia Post celebratesthe achievements of important Australians with a special stamp issue and the Australian Legends Award. This year the award went to five medical scientists.

From left to right, and top to bottom, the stamps feature: Sir Gustav Nossal; Nancy Millis; Fiona Stanley; Peter Doherty; and Donald Metcalf. These quiet heroes' great achievements benefit many people, both in Australia and around the world.

Legends in the past have included cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, artist Arthur Boyd, musician Slim Dusty and famous Olympic athletes.

Issue date: 23 January 2002

Yellow Crazy Ants

Crazy Ants get their name from thewild way they race around when theyare disturbed. Accidentally introducedto Christmas Island in the 1930s, they have recently become a HUGE problem.They are found everywhere, from under the ground to the tops of the tallest trees. And they are killing many of the native birds and animals that live in all of those habitats. Scientists are trying to discover a way to get rid of the ants leaving other creatures unharmed.

Issue date: 1 May 2002

Australian Legends

These beautiful birds are found only on Christmas Island, and all of them are in danger of extinction*. Their habitats are threatened by land clearing and by the spread of the Yellow Crazy Ant.

The stamps show the Christmas Island Imperial Pigeon (45c), the Christmas Island Hawk-Owl (45c), the Christmas Island Goshawk ($1.00) and the Christmas Island Thrush ($1.50).* Dying out forever.

Christmas Island, a small tropical island, is an Australian Territory located not far from Indonesia.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND BIRDS

Colouring in winners (from Explorer 67)Angela Dwyer, NSW; Eliza Jane Ridley, NSW; Analisa Humphrys NSW; Janette Semerdjian NSW; Mark Ryan, NSW; Rochelle Desainis, QLD Courtney Hansell, QLD; Keryn Somerville, QLD; Jemena Martinou, QLD' Bradley Morrison QLD; Harrison Southam, QLD; Taryn Zerk, SA; Billy Burns, SA; Benjamin Solly, SA; Benjamin Lucas, TAS; Emily Desmier, VIC; Oliver Ku, VIC; Ellie Griffiths, WA; Alexandra Logan; WA; Samuel Hunwick, WA

Sir G

usta

v N

ossa

l AC

CBE

, Med

ical

Sci

entis

t

Nan

cy M

illis

AC

MBE

, Med

ical

Sci

entis

t

Fion

a St

anle

y A

C, M

edic

al S

cien

tist

Pete

r Doh

erty

AC

, Med

ical

Sci

entis

t

Don

ald

Met

calf

AC

, Med

ical

Sci

entis

t

$1Australia

C.I. GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus natalis

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

2002

$1.50Australia

C.I. ThrushTurdus poliocephalus erythropleurus

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

2002

45cAustralia

C.I. Hawk-OwlNinox natalis

CHRISTMAS ISLAND2002

45 cAustralia

C.I. Imperial Pigeon Ducula whartoni

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

2002

Kerryn Ruxton, NSW; Merinda Fish, NSW; H Hsieh, NSW; Danielle Fong, NSW; Amy-May Paties, QLD; Jennifer Cash, NSW; Emma Greenland, NSW; Erin Lawson, NT; Haylee Tumanik, NSW; Catherine Chen, NSW; Danita Harris, NSW; Ashleigh Patricia Leece, NSW; Justine Bridger, NSW; Vicca Qodar, NSW: Ashton Herdman, NSW; William Hsieh, NSW; Kathryn Fletcher, NSW; Rebecca Pettit, TAS; Elizabeth Cheung, NSW; Ashleigh Evans, QLD; Vanessa Yu, NSW; Lisa Pain, NSW; Katharine Telford, NSW; David Gavronsky, NSW;

Kareena Forster, NSW Sasha Skerman, QLD

Darcy Catterall, QLDAnne Banh, NSW

Melissa Graham, SA; Claire Carroll, VIC; Tahnee Hambly, NSW; Rebecca Ryan, NSW; Kareena Forster, NSW; Katrina Charoua, NSW; Teesha Downton, NSW; Anne Banh, NSW; Zoe Kittel, NSW; Becky Hoopmann, QLD; Tamia Toll, NSW; Elise Bant, NSW; Amy Walk, NSW; Jarrod Stehbens, NSW; Jennifer Ho, NSW; Fiona Dick, NSW; Claire Adams, NSW; Chantelle Liew, NSW; Taylah Leader, TAS; Benjamin Liew, NSW; Darcy Catterall, QLD; Hannah Ralli, NSW; Sasha Skerman, QLD; Ben Walker, QLD; Lauren Gordon, QLD; Rose Goodall, QLD;

2002