Stamp issues

The stamps in this issue present three popular native herbs and spices, illustrated by visual artist Gavin Ryan. The stamps in the minisheet are presented in a tête-bêche format (a French term meaning in a pair, top to toe).

This stamp issue showcases the traditional wooden sailboats of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, known as jukongs. These sailboats were used for fishing, transportation and moving coconuts and copra, the latter a major export industry for the island group.

In recent decades, fibre art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples has achieved national and international recognition for its beauty, complexity and cultural significance.