Mark O'Shea - The Official Website

Capital: Canberra
Population: 25,565,600
Languages: English
Currency:
Australia Dollar

AUSTRALIA

During the late 19th Century, and until federation in 1901, stamps were issued by the colonies of Australia: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Seemingly none of these issues, which continued in use until 1912, featured herpetological subjects.
The first herpetological stamp was issued in 1948.

Herpetological stamps were also issued by the following Australian External Territories:
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Norfolk Island
and also the Hutt River Province

1948 to 1999
21st Century Australian stamps

1948

DEFINITIVES
(SG 224)

2s Aborginal Art

One of seven 1948 definitives features an interesting aboriginal representation of a narrow-snouted crocodile, possibly the Freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstonei).

1956

DEFINITIVES
(SG 224f)

2s Aborginal Art

The same stamp as SG 224, but without a watermark.

1971

ABORIGINAL ART
(SG 494)

20c Bark Painting

One of four examples of aboriginal art features bark painting and a snake-necked turtle (Chelodina sp.).

1981

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE (1st series)
(SG 786, 794, 804)


	15c Eastern snake-necked turtle	40c Smooth knob-tailed gecko	90c Freshwater crocodile

1982

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE (2nd series)
(SG 782, 790a, 799, 801)


3c Corroboree frog	27c Blue Mountain treefrog	65c Yellow-faced whipsnake	75c Eastern water dragon

1983

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE (3rd series)
(SG 781, 800, 803, 805)


1c Lace monitor	70c Crucifix toad	85c Centralian blue-tongued skink	95c Thorny devil

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
		16.06.1982
15c	none	Chelodina longicollis	Common snake-necked turtle
40c	none	Nephrurus levis	Smooth knob-tailed gGecko
90c	none	Crocodylus johnstonei	Freshwater crocodile
		19.04.1982
3c	none	Pseudophryne corroboree	Corroboree frog
27c	none	Litoria citropa	Blue Mountain treefrog
65c	none	Demansia psammophis	Yellow-faced whipsnake
75c	none	Intellagama lesueurii	Eastern water dragon
		02.02.1983
1c	none	Varanus varius	Lace monitor
70c	none	Notaden bennettii	Crucifix toad
85c	none	Tiliqua multifasciata	Centralian blue-tongued sSkink
95c	none	Moloch horridus	Thorny devil

Between 1982 And 1983 Australia issued a series of 26 wildlife definitives with 11 of the subjects featuring amphibians or reptiles, which form a very attractive and accurately represented set of stamps.

1984

BICENTENARY (1988) OF AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENT (1st series)
THE FIRST AUSTRALIANS)
(SG 954-955)


30c Wandjina spirit and baby snakes	30c Rock python

Two images from a series of eight feature aboriginal stories involving serpents,
i e. Wandjina Spirit and baby snakes from a rock python, both from Gibb River.

1992

AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE (1st series)
(SG 1361)

30c Saltwater crocodile

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
30c	none	Crocodylus porosus	Saltwater crocodile

One of 11 wildlife stamps featured a pair of Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus).

1993

WORLD HERITAGE SITES (1st series)
(SG 1392, 1393 & 1394)


45c Uluru (Ayers Rock) National Park	85c Fraser Island	$2 Kakadu National Park

Three from the series of four World Heritage Sites stamps also featuring aboriginal art
illustrate herpetological subjects,
the rainbow serpent on the Uluru stamp,
a snake-necked turtles on the Fraser Island stamp, a
a nd a crocodile on the Kakadu stamp.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
ABORIGINAL ART
(SG 1419)

$1 Ngak Ngak flanked by two serpents

One of four stamps features the story of Ngak Ngak the white-breated sea eagle, flanked by two serpents,
by the late artist Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.

1994

AUSTRALIAN ZOOS : ENDANGERED SPECIES
(SG 1482)

45c Fijian crested iguana

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
45c	none	Brachylophus cristatus	Fijian crested iguana

One of five endangered species stamps is herpetological, featuring the Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus cristatus) which is kept and bred in Australian zoos.

1995

THE WORLD DOWN UNDER
(SG 1556, MS 1562)

45c Flatback sea turtle

45c Flatback sea turtle

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
45c	none	Natator depressa	Flatback sea turtle

A marine minisheet featuring Australia's endemic Flatback turtle (Natator depressa)
which is also available separately with a light blue border.

1996

WORLD HERITAGE SITES (2nd series)
(SG 1583)

75c Willandra Lakes

One of the second series of four stamps featuring World Heritage Sites and aboriginal art includes drawings of snakes and turtles.

1997

FLORA & FAUNA (2nd series)
KAKADU WETLANDS, NORTHERN TERRITORY
(SG 1679-1680)


20c Saltwater srocodile	25c Northern dwarf treefrog

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
20c	none	Crocodylus porosus	Saltwater crocodile
25c	none	Litoria bicolor	Northern dwarf treefrog

Two the series of eight flora and fauna stamps feature a frog and a crocodile.

PREHISTORIC ANIMALS
(SG 1708-1712)


45c Rhoetosaurus brownei	45c Mcnamaraspis kaprios	45c Ninjemys oweni	45c Paracyclotosaurus davidi	45c Woolungasaurus glendowerensis


45c Ninjemys oweni	45c Paracyclotosaurus davidi

	Name on stamp	Current name	Classification
45c	Rhoetosaurus brownei	Rhoetosaurus brownei	Dinosauria: Sauropoda
45c	Mcnamaraspis kaprios	Mcnamaraspis kaprios	Placodermi: Ploursteidae
45c	Nijemys oweni	Nijemys oweni	Testudines: Meiolaniidae
45c	Paracyclotosaurus davidi	Paracyclotosaurus davidi	Temnospondyli: Mastodonsauridae
45c	Woolungasaurus glendowerensis	Woolungasaurus glendowerensis	Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae

A set of five colourful stamps of extinct prehistoric animals, two of which could fall within the remit of this collection,
the turtle Nijemys oweni (Testudines: Meiolaniidae) and
an amphibian Paracyclotosaurus davidi (Temnospondyli: Mastodonsauridae).

1999

FLORA & FAUNA (3rd series)
COASTAL ENVIRONMENT
(SG 1861)

$1.05 Loggerhead turtle and melon shell

One stamp from four is herpetological, featuring the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and a melon shell.

	Name on stamp	Current name	Common name
$1.05	none	Caretta caretta	Loggerhead sea turtle
$1.05	none	Melo umbricatus	Melon shell

SMALL POND
(SG 1907-1912, MS 1913)


50c Javelin frog	45c Roth's treefrog	50c Northern dwarf treefrog	45c Magnificent tTreefrog


		45c Roth's tree frog	45c Dragonfly
50c Northern dwarf tree frog	50c Javelin frog


45c Sacred kingfisher	45c Magnificent tree frog

	Name on stamp	Current name	Accepted common name
50c	none	Litoria microbelos	Javelin frog
45c	none	Todiramphus sanctus	Sacred kingfisher
45c	none	Litoria rothii	Roth's treefrog
50c	none	Litoria bicolor	Northern dwarf treefrog
45c	none	n/a	Dragonfly
45c	none	Litoria splendida	Magnificent treefrog

Issued for National Stamp Collecting Month, the minisheet entitled Small Pond features six stamps, including four treefrogs, as ordinary and self-adhesive stamps. The stamps were also released as se-tenant pairs.

21st Century Australian stamps

Associated links on this site:

Australian stamp packs

Australian first day covers

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