A second series of Marine Emblem PMCs with cut-out medallions

In March this year, Australia Post released a series of three “Marine Emblems” PNCs, featuring:

• South Australia (SA): Leafy Sea-Dragon, set in green-blue
• Queensland (QLD): Barrier Reef Anemonefish, set in orange
• New South Wales (NSW): Eastern Blue Groper, set in blue

Now, in July, they have followed up with three more medallion PNCs, this time featuring:

• Northern Territory (NT): Barramundi, set in light blue
• Western Australia (WA): Whale Shark, set in brown / blue
• Victoria (VIC): Weedy Seadragon, set in orange

These three have the same overall design as the earlier releases, however, use paler colours on the envelopes. They also feature international rate postage stamps, rather than domestic stamps.

Barramundi, Northern Territory

The reverse of the PNC contains information about the fish:

The Barramundi (Iates calcarifer) can be found across tropical northern Australia and is the fish emblem of the Northern Territory. This large, carnivorous, silver fish can grow to more than a metre in length and more than 40 kilograms in weight. It has an average lifespan of around 20 years. An excellent eating fish, Barramundi are often fished for their economic, health and cultural importance. The lifecycle of the Barramundi takes place in both fresh and salt water. In wet season, eggs and larvae are washed from the ocean into wetland and mangrove habitats, where the young develop. After three to five years, the mature fish migrate from freshwater to estuaries and saltwater coastal shallows to spawn.

Stamp and cover design: Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio

Stamp illustration: Roger Swainston

Images: Adobestock.com

The stamp on the Barramundi PNC is $2.85. This is the rate to send a letter from Australia to NZ.

Weedy Seadragon, Victoria

The reverse of the PNC reads:

The Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) was nominated as Victoria’s marine emblem in 2002. Named for its leaf-like appendages, this reddish, yellow and purple seadragon can be very difficult to see within its habitat of seagrass beds and kelp forests. The Weedy Seadragon is endemic to Australian marine temperate waters, where it occurs in depths to 50 metres, from the central New South Wales coast around the south coast of Australia to south-western Western Australia. In Victoria, it is found from Gippsland and Wilson’s Promontory, to Queenscliff and Portland. This seadragon reaches around 45 centimetres in length.

Stamp and cover design: Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio

Stamp illustration: Roger Swainston

Images: Chris/Adobestock.com

The stamp value of $3.30, will send a letter from Australia to China, Indonesia, India or other Asia-Pacific countries.

Western Australia, Whale Shark

The reverse of the PNC reads:

The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) was proclaimed Western Australia’s marine animal emblem in 2013. The largest non-cetacean animal in the world, this huge dappled-grey fish can reach around 14 to 20 metres in length. Whale Sharks present no danger to humans and are filter feeders, with a diet that includes plankton, krill, fish eggs and copepods. Whale Sharks are found in all tropical and warm seas in both coastal and ocean habitats. Western Australia is one of the best places in the world to observe these giants of the deep, which from March to August congregate to feed along the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.

Stamp and cover design: Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio

Stamp illustration: Roger Swainston

Images: Krzysztof Odziomek/Shutterstock.com

The stamp rate of $4.55 will cover a letter to Zone 5 Rest of World (that is, anywhere which is not NZ, Asia Pacific, US & Canada or UK & Europe. As per Australia Post’s International Post Easy Guide.

Maxicards

As with many PNCs, Australia Post has released a series of other products around the same theme. You can purchase the stamps individually, or as sheets or rolls. You can also purchase these Maxicards – postcards on the same theme. I picked these up to match the PNCs. They also come with stamps, ready to write on and post. Interestingly they come in a plastic wrap, however it is completely sealed, so I needed to cut it to take them out to photograph them. There is an additional card at the back which has the theme, that they are “Maxicard images”, the names of each, and:

Contains: Set of three maxicards
Price includes postage paid in Australia and delivery worldwide
Not for long-term storage”

Here is the Weedy Seadragon PNC and Maxicard:

Australia has six states and two territories (and several offshore territories. Of the main states and territories, the only ones not yet covered in this series are Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. As far as I can tell, neither actually has a marine emblem.