Author: thedigitalphilatelist

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938) is a federal territory of Australia containing the Australian capital city of Canberra. It is home to many important institutions of the federal government, national monuments and museums. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies of…

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Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. The first reported sighting of Lord Howe Island took place on 17 February 1788, when Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, commander of the Armed Tender HMS Supply, was en route from Botany Bay…

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Queensland is a state of Australia situated in the north-east of the country. Queensland was first inhabited by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, the first European to land in Australia, explored the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula in 1606. In 1770, James Cook…

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Victoria is the second most populated state of Australia and is situated in the south-east of the country. Victoria is home to numerous Aboriginal groups, including the Kulin, the Boonwurrung, the Bratauolung, the Djadjawurrung, the Gunai, the Gunditjmara, the Taungurong, the Wathaurong, the Wurundjeri, and the Yorta Yorta. There were…

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Tasmania is an island state of Australia separated by Bass Strait. The island is believed to have been occupied by indigenous peoples for 30,000 years before British colonisation. It is thought Aboriginal Tasmanians were separated from the mainland Aboriginal groups about 11,700 years ago after the sea rose to form Bass…

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Van Diemen’s Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania in 1642. Landing at Blackman Bay and later having the Dutch flag flown at North Bay, Tasman…

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New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. The Colony of New South Wales was founded as a British penal colony in 1788. It originally comprised more than half of the Australian mainland in 1825. The colony then also included the island territories of New Zealand, Van…

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Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians but they were long gone when Great Britain…

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Heard Island and McDonald Islands is an external territory of Australia comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands. The islands are among the most remote places on Earth and are currently uninhabited. Discovered in the mid-19th century, the islands have been an Australian territory since 1947 and contain…

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