Royal Australian Navy Sails on Stamps

Australia Post commemorates 100 years of the Royal Australian Navy with the release of a ‘then and now’ stamp issue.

Featured on the stamps are the HMAS Australia (I), the first flagship of the new Australian fleet which served from 1913-1922; and the HMAS Sydney, one of four Adelaide Class guided missile frigates currently in service.

An image of Boy Seaman Frederick Mills graced the historic stamp. He served in HMAS Australia when it was attached to the British Grand Fleet in World War I. He was killed in action in World War II while serving in the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Acasta.

The contemporary stamp shows 21-year-old Combat Systems Operator, Able Seaman Rebecca Florance who is a recent crew member of HMAS Sydney (IV). The image represents the modern day sailor wearing combat uniform with a headset.

The Royal Australian Navy 1911-2011 commemorative stamp was released on June 12, 2011.

Christmas Island Frigatebird WWF

The rarest native seabird on Christmas Island, the frigatebird, is featured as part of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Stamp Collection.

The frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi) is the rarest endemic seabird on Christmas Island, listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Considerable areas of the frigatebird's former breeding habitat have been cleared, and its current breeding areas are now threatened by the invasive Crazy Ant and pollution from past phosphate mining.

Australia Post comes out with this issue on August 17, 2010 with denominations of 2 x 60c and 2 x $1.80.

Australia's For Special Occasions Stamps

For just over a decade Australia Post has regularly released its popular Special Occasions stamp series, the purpose of which is to provide postage stamps for mail relating to specific events and celebrations. Some of the designs in this year's issue are occasion-specific, such as those marking a wedding or the birth of a baby; others, such as the tulip and the balloon designs, can be used for a broader range of occasions. While some stamps are best suited for personal occasions, others, such as the Southern Cross and the wattle stamps, have been designed with the needs of community and business organisations in mind.

Issued on July 19, 2010, all 10 designs can be used as traditional postage stamps, and all but the Southern Cross designs can be used as Personalised Stamps™ .

Australia's Adopted and Adored

To raise awareness of responsible dog ownership and support the dedicated work of organisations re-homing lost and abandoned dogs, a special stamp issue is released on June 29, 2010 by Australia Post.

The stamps designed by Simone Sakinofsky feature five dogs that are given a second chance. The dogs have spent time in a shelter before being adopted into adoring new families.

All the stamps are valued at 60 cents each.

Fishes of the Reef

With the basic postage rate going to 60c, Australia Post issues on June 28, 2010 a new and colourful definitive issue titled Fishes of the Reef. This issue is in two parts with Part 1 issued on 21 June 2010 and part 2 issued on 28 June 2010, when the new postage rates become valid.

Australia's tropical and subtropical waters support an astounding range of marine life, particularly in the reef areas. The largest coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef spans more than 2,000 kilometres of our north-eastern coast. This area alone is home to an estimated 1,500 species of fishes, up to 8,000 species of molluscs and 360 species of corals. Fishes are an important part of reef ecology and the eight fish species in this stamp issue occupy the waters of Great Barrier Reef. Several are also found around reefs off northern and Western Australia.

Australian Beaches

Australia Post releases today three of Australia's most renowned and beautiful beaches.

Located within Mt William National Park in north-eastern Tasmania, The Bay of Fires has rocks and stones along the beach that are visible reminders of the land bridge once connecting Tasmania to the mainland.

Cape Tribulation, in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in northern Queensland, is in one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. The Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of this area.

In the east of Esperance in Cape Le Grand is Hellfire Bay, one of Western Australia's best known and most spectacular national parks.

All three stamps were designed by Janet Boschen.

Australian World Heritage Sites

On May 25, 2010 Australia Post celebrates on stamps four UNESCO World Heritage listed sites.

The stamps feature Purnululu National Park, Kakadu National Park, The Gondwana Rainforests and the Tasmanian Wilderness.

Sharon Rodziewicz designed the four stamps.

Kokoda Joint Issue

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Kokoda, Australia and Papua New Guinea comes out with a joint stamp issue on April 20, 2010 to highlight the heroic stand by Australian soldiers against the Japanese in World War II.

The five stamps feature the relationship between the two countries from the Kokoda Campaign of 1942. Two of the stamps portray the difficult conditions and the close bonds forged through adversity. Another shows the memorial at Isurava. The final two stamps show the two nations' relationships today through the eyes of veterals and travellers.

Australia Post Issues Stamps on Centenary of Powered Flight

Australia Post came out with three stamps on March 9, 2010 commemorating significant powered flights from it's early aviation history.

The first stamp feature Englishman Colin Defries with his modified Wright Model A powered aircraft named The Stella that took a sustained and controlled flight on December 9, 1909 at the Victoria Park race course in Sydney.

Another stamp shows famous American "escapologist" Harry Houdini and his imported Voisin aircraft. Houdini made the first of several well-publicised flights in Australia on March 18, 1910. Houdini's name is emblazoned on the plane's tail.

The last stamp to complete the set is of John Duigan who was the first Ausralian who flew an Australian-designed and constructed powered aircraft. Duigan's self-designed biplane flew 180 metres at 64kph at an altitude of 3.4 metres at his family property at Mia Mia, Victoria on October 7, 1910.