APRIL • MAY • JUNE 2011
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Majestic ice mountains
Maritime memories
AAT Icebergs • 7 June 2011
Royal Australian Navy 1911–2011 • 14 June 2011
An iceberg is a large piece of ice formed from freshwater that then floats in open water after breaking off a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf. Only one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is usually above the water. That means that most of the iceberg is below the surface of the ocean. The largest icebergs recorded by the US National Ice Centre have broken off Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Iceberg B-15 was photographed in 2000 and measured 295 kilometres in length, 37 km in width and had a surface area of 11,000 square kilometres!
These stamps will commemorate 100 years since the Commonwealth Naval Forces became the “Royal Australian Navy” on 10 July 1911. In 1909 discussions held between the British Admiralty and Australian Government resulted in the establishment of an Australian Fleet Unit. The first units of this Navy, the destroyers, HMA Ships Yarra and Parramatta, reached Australian waters in November 1910 and in the following year on 10 July 1911, His Majesty King George V granted the title of “Royal Australian Navy” to the Commonwealth Naval Forces. On the 4 October 1913, the Australian Fleet entered Sydney harbour for the first time and in October of the same year formal control of these units passed to the Commonwealth Naval Board, thus ending direct Imperial control. The stamps show an historic ship and a contemporary vessel together with personnel: the HMAS Australia, the first flagship of the new Australian fleet which served 1913–1922; and the HMAS Sydney, one of the six guided missile frigates currently in service with the Royal Australian Navy.
Prince to marry his Princess
Awash with beauty
Royal Wedding • 12 April 2011
Lake Eyre • 4 April 2011
Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales will marry Catherine (Kate) Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The couple met in 2001 while they were studying art history at the University of St Andrew’s in Scotland. A public holiday has been declared throughout Britain, so even those not attending the celebrations will be able to soak up the atmosphere. William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, will host the wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.
Two years of flooding rains have transformed Australia’s Lake Eyre from a dry, salt pan to a wetland wonder. Situated about 700 kilometres north of Adelaide, Lake Eyre is the largest lake in Australia and one of the world’s biggest internal drainage systems. Water flows into the lake from South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Many waterbirds fl y long distances to enjoy the bounty of the swollen lake and to breed.
Crabs a plenty! Christmas Island Crabs • 7 June 2011 Christmas Island is home to at least 23 different types of land and freshwater crabs. These critters move about the island scavenging and burrowing in search of food. All this earth moving and chomping on tree fruits and shoots has a very positive impact on the island’s rainforest ecology. It helps to recycle nutrients locked in fallen leaves and influences the make-up of the forest.
Nature’s gifts Farming Australia – native plants • 17 May 2011 Australia is the world’s largest producer of macadamias and the industry is our most successful in native horticulture. We also produce some of the best honey in the world, with the help of our native plants. The number of honeybees has been reduced worldwide, which makes honey even more important than ever. Tea tree oil is not something you want to eat. It acts as a natural antiseptic and has other medicinal benefits. Eucalyptus oil has medicinal uses as well.
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APR
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Dame Nellie Melba 1861–1931 - 10 May 2011 This stamp issue celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Australia’s first international “superstar”, soprano Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931). Melba was born Helen Porter Mitchell in Richmond, Melbourne and made her debut at the Melbourne Town Hall in 1884. After an audition in Paris, Mitchell adopted the name Melba (after her home city), and made her debut on the European opera stage in Brussels in 1887. Melba became best known for her interpretation of Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème which she premiered at the Royal Opera House in London in 1899. Her glittering career continued until the 1920s. In ill health, Melba returned to Australia in early 1931 and died in Sydney a few weeks later.
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Opera Singer extraordinaire
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There’s a sheetlet of 10 stamps that actually smells like Eucalyptus oil.