Australia Philately: 1989 Sports Series I - 55c Kite Flying

Kits have been in use among Asian peoples from time immemorial. The sport is a national pastime in such countries as Korea, China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. With their great variety of form, colour and shape, kites possess a sense of magic and fascination. They also have their practical side, having long been used in weather observation, carrying aloft instruments to record data unobtainable before the advent of balloons and aircraft. The boxkite, one of the three kites most commonly used, was invented in 1890 by Australian aviation pioneer, Lawrence Hargrave.