This is the fourth and last issue in a four-year program celebrating the centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE). The AAE left Hobart in December 1911 under the command of Douglas Mawson and returned to Adelaide in February 1914.
The stamps follow the same design style across the four years and feature a combination of images depicting the environment, the men, their work and their lives over this period so that by the end there is a comprehensive mosaic of this extraordinary feat of exploration in Australia’s history.
Mawson was knighted for his achievements during this expedition and is regarded as one of the greatest figures of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration. This final issue focuses on the activities of the members of the Expedition who were forced to stay for the winter of 1913 and their return to Adelaide in February 1914.
The photographs used for this issue were sourced from various national archives including the South Australian Museum, the State Library of South Australia, The Mawson Centre, and the Home & Away Collection of the State Library of NSW.
If all had gone to plan the AAE would have returned home in early 1913, but this schedule had to be abandoned after the tragic deaths of Xavier Mertz and Belgrave Ninnis, and the late return of Mawson himself to base camp. Instead, the small party who had remained in Antarctica endured another winter of scientific work until the Aurora returned in December 1913. That evening they sat down to dinner “striving to collect our bewildered thoughts at the sight of a white tablecloth, Australian mutton, fresh vegetables, fruit and cigars”. Mawson and his team were given a hero’s welcome for their achievements and their courage on their return to Adelaide on 26 February 1914.
Minisheet
The minisheet features, on the left, an extension of the image of Mawson shown on the stamp with Madigan, Gillies, Hodgeman & Blake, and on the right, Mawson & Madigan stepping off the Aurora.
Sheetlet
A special 20-stamp sheetlet is being released with this final stamp issue and comprises all the stamps released across the programme. The overarching themes for the four-year series are:
2011 – Departure & Journey
2012 – Arrival & Exploration
2013 – Disaster and Isolation
2014 – Homeward Bound
Designer
Designed by Andrew Hogg Design, the stamps use a number of photographs of the AAE’s time in the Antarctic.
Products released in this issue
- Miniature sheet
- First day cover
- Stamp Pack
- Maxicards
- Special 20 stamp sheetlet.
Technical specifications
- Issue date
- 18 February 2014
- Issue withdrawal date
- 31 August 2014
- Denominations
- 3 x 60c, 2 x $1.20
- Stamp design
- Andrew Hogg design
- Product design
- Andrew Hogg design
- Paper - gummed
- Tullis Russell
- Printer - gummed
- RA print
- Printing process
- Lithography
- Stamp size
- 26mm x 37.5mm
- Minisheet size
- 170mm x 85mm
- Perforations
- 14.6 x 13.86
- Sheet layout
- Module of 50 (se-tenant)
- FDI postmark
- Kingston, Tas 7050
- FDI withdrawal date
- 19 March 2014
This content was produced at the time of the stamp issue release date and will not be updated.
