New $5 coin launched to celebrate Australia’s heritage
New $5 coin launched to celebrate Australia’s heritage
Australia’s prehistoric rainforest, convict sites, Sydney Opera House and ancient Aboriginal settlements are etched into history on a freshly minted coin celebrating the country’s heritage value.
All 20 of Australia’s World Heritage-listed properties are featured on the coin, which was unveiled Thursday at Sydney’s heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks with a super-sized six-foot-tall model.
Depictions of the heritage sites on the $5 matte coin framed a central color image of a handprint, a fan palm leaf and a shell fossil to represent both natural and man-made “icons” and Australia’s aboriginal heritage, according to the Royal Australian Mint .
Australia’s prehistoric rainforest, convict sites, Sydney Opera House and ancient Aboriginal settlements are etched into history on a freshly minted coin
Although the coin designed by Tony Dean was not intended for general circulation, the public could purchase it from Sept. 7 and it was legal Australian tender, the Mint said.
The coin also featured the Jody Clark-designed Queen Elizabeth II Memorial obverse.
Assistant Finance Minister Andrew Leigh said Australians were lucky to live in a country of such natural beauty.
“By honoring Australia’s World Heritage Sites with this collectible coin, the Royal Australian Mint is helping to spread the word about our wonderful natural and built heritage,” he said.
The unveiling coincided with a global event kicking off for the first time in Australia: the 21st General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
The symposium would bring together some 1,500 professionals from around the world to discuss the key theme of ‘heritage change’ and take attendees on a tour of some of Australia’s renowned heritage sites.
The Mint worked with the municipality to make the coin.
An official opening ceremony of the symposium took place at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday.
Richard Mackay, chairman of the council’s general assembly, said the coin encouraged awareness about Australia’s unique biodiversity, deep Indigenous ties to the land and extraordinary cultural sites.
“We are thrilled that as cultural heritage experts from around the world gather in Sydney, this coin celebrates our contribution to the World Heritage Site,” he said.
The coin lists Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, the NSW Greater Blue Mountains, Macquarie Island and the Ningaloo Coast among the 20 heritage sites depicted.