|
The first stamps issued for COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA were the 1913 "Kangaroo" stamps. The federation was established in 1901, but it took twelve years before the Commonwealth postal system could be inaugurated. For those first twelve years, the stamps of the respective states were reprinted, ad nauseam! These states were: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the island state of Tasmania (Van Diemens Land as it was known till 1856). The first commemorative stamp for the Commonwealth was issued in 1914. The Federal currency was the Imperial unit a la the British system using pounds, shillings and pence, a system that stayed in usage till 1966 when Australia changed from the clumsy sexagesimal to the decimal system, naming the units dollars and cents. This system remains in use today.
|
