Postage stamps and postal history of the Australian Antarctic Territory and its Development

The Australian Antarctic Territory was established in 1933, when Australia claimed sovereignty over the Antarctic region south of 60 degrees latitude.

Australia's claim to the territory was formalized through the Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in 1959.

The territory has a unique postal history, with the first stamps issued in 1948 to serve the personnel stationed at the Australian bases.

These early stamps featured a distinctive design, with a map of the territory on the reverse side.

The Australian Antarctic Territory Stamps are a fascinating topic, and I'm excited to share some interesting facts with you. The first stamp issued specifically for the territory was a two-shilling blue stamp with a design of explorers and an Antarctic map, which was first issued in Australia on 27 March 1957 and in Antarctica on 11 December 1957.

These stamps were valid for use in all of Australia and its other territories, and they're still valid today. The original stamp design was seen as an "aggressive geopolitical assertion of territory" by the Australians, due to the map clearly marking the territory's boundaries.

The first commemorative stamp was released on 16 October 1961 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Antarctic Expedition in 1911, led by Sir Douglas Mawson. This stamp featured an image of Mawson on this expedition, surrounded by the words "Australian Antarctic Territory".

The stamps issued for the Australian Antarctic Territory have all been Antarctic-themed, and are also valid for postage in Australia. This means that, in practice, they're just Australian stamps with a different inscription.

Here's a list of the Australian Antarctic Territory bases, where you can find stamps with postmarks from:

These bases are not all currently in use or permanently occupied, so be cautious if you're buying stamps with postmarks from these places.

The Australian Antarctic Territory has a unique postal history, with stamps issued in both Australia and the Territory. The first stamp to commemorate the Antarctic discoveries by Australians was issued in 1954, featuring important flora and fauna relevant to the discoveries.

Stamps for the Territory have been issued in both Australia and the Territory since 1957, with themes related to life in the Antarctic. These stamps are valid for use in all of Australia and its other territories, including Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island.

Some interesting facts about the postal history of the Australian Antarctic Territory include the use of rubber postage stamps by early expeditions, the establishment of post offices at Mawson Station in 1954, and the use of adhesive stamps on letters sent from the Territory.

In the early days of Australian Antarctic Territory postal history, a customized postage system was used for expeditions to Antarctica.

Before the Australian Antarctic Territory Act was signed in 1954, all expeditions to Antarctica used rubber postage stamps.

The first expedition to use these stamps was the Australian Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1914, led by Sir Douglas Mawson.

The stamps were round and featured an emperor penguin, with the inscription "LOOSE SHIP'S LETTER/POSTED IN ANTARCTICA/S.Y. AURORA".

Letters leaving from the S.Y. Aurora were stamped with an Australian stamp, which was then covered with the official expedition stamp.

This system continued until 1955, when the first post office was established in MacRobertson Land (Mawson Station).

Letters were stamped with adhesive stamps and sent via plane or ship to mainland Australia, where they were sorted and distributed across the country.

The rubber stamp system was also used for later expeditions, such as the South Indian Ocean Expedition to Heard Island (1964–65) and the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (1947–65).

These stamps often featured penguins, which helped to clearly identify where letters were arriving from in the sorting office in mainland Australia.

The Pre-Decimal era of Australian Antarctic Territory postal history is a fascinating topic.

The first definitive issue of stamps was released on 27 March 1957, featuring a 2s denomination.

The Definitive Issue was followed by a new series of definitives on 16 December 1959, which introduced a range of new denominations including 5d, 8d, 1s, and 2/3.

Here's a breakdown of the 1959 Definitives issue:

The 50th Anniversary of the 1911 Mawson Antarctic Expedition was commemorated with a special issue on 18 October 1961, featuring a 5d denomination.

The Australian Antarctic Territory has a fascinating postal history. Stamps were issued in both Australia and the Territory until approximately 1970, and were available in Australian post offices for two weeks before being procurable at the Department's philatelic sections.

The first stamp issued specifically for the Territory was a two-shilling blue stamp with a design of explorers and an Antarctic map, which was first issued in Australia on 27th March 1957. It was first issued in Antarctica on 11th December 1957.

Stamps from the Territory are usually found with either mainland Australia postal cancels or first-day cover cancels, as there is relatively little genuine mail from the bases. All A.A.T. mail will be cancelled with a postmark from one of the bases, though First Day Covers are now thought to be cancelled with the relevant base name at the Australian Philatelic Bureau.

Here are some of the Australian Antarctic Territory bases where post offices are operated: Mawson Station, Casey Research Station, and Wilkes Station. Not all bases are currently in use or permanently occupied, so be cautious if you're looking to buy "used" stamps from a particular place.

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Stamps issued for the Territory are valid for use in all of Australia and its other territories, and vice versa. This includes stamps from Christmas Island, which have been valid for use in the Territory and vice versa since 1993, and stamps from Norfolk Island, which have been valid for use in the Territory and vice versa since 2016.

The first stamp issued specifically for the Australian Antarctic Territory was a two-shilling blue stamp with a design of explorers and an Antarctic map, first issued in Australia on 27 March 1957 and in Antarctica on 11 December 1957.

This stamp was seen as an "aggressive geopolitical assertion of territory" by the Australians due to the map clearly marking the territory's boundaries, but it was still used to stamp over 23,000 letters until 1959.

The first stamp was sold at only two shillings per print and features the flying of the Australian flag in Vestfold Hills, Antarctica, on 3 March 1954, after a temporary landing by Peter Shaw, Philip Law, and Dr. Arthur Gwynn.

The Australian Antarctic Territory has issued postage stamps since 1957, all of which are Antarctic themed and valid for postage in Australia, making them essentially just Australian stamps with a different inscription.

Stamps from the territory are often found with mainland Australia postal cancels or first-day cover cancels, as there is relatively little genuine mail from the bases.

Here is a list of some notable Australian Antarctic Territory stamps:

The first stamp issued specifically for the Australian Antarctic Territory was a two-shilling blue stamp with a design of explorers and an Antarctic map. This was first issued in Australia on 27 March 1957 and in Antarctica on 11 December 1957.

The original stamp design of 1957 was seen as an "aggressive geopolitical assertion of territory" by the Australians due to the map clearly marking the territory's boundaries. This caused issues within Antarctica as a whole, as the "issuing of postmarks can only be performed by a sovereign state".

More than 23,000 letters were stamped with this postmark up until 1959, when several more stamps were released. The first stamp was sold at only two shillings per print.

Here are some key facts about the first stamp:

The first commemorative stamp of the Australian Antarctic Territory was released on 16 October 1961 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Antarctic Expedition in 1911, led by Sir Douglas Mawson.

This stamp features an image of Mawson on this expedition, surrounded by the words "Australian Antarctic Territory".

The stamp was a significant event, as it marked a milestone in the history of the Australian Antarctic Territory. It was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the expedition, which was a major achievement for Australian scientists and explorers.

Lady Francisca Adriana Mawson, the widowed wife of Mawson, received a special album on behalf of the Postmaster General, Hon. C. W. Davidson, containing a sheet of the minted stamps of Mawson.

An imperforate block of four of the Mawson stamps was presented to Sir Thomas Playford, Premier of South Australia, for inclusion in the collection of the National Gallery of South Australia.

Here is a list of the species featured on the Antarctic Research Commemorative Stamp, released in 1954: