A set showcasing three state emblems on cut-out medallions

Obverse

Here is a set of three brightly coloured Postal Medallic Covers. They work well together, so I’m giving them all equal billing rather than trying to highlight just one. These showcase the marine emblems of three states of Australia. I must admit, I didn’t realise states HAD marine emblems. The three featured states / emblems are:

• 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

Reverse

The text from the reverse of each is below:

New South Wales: Eastern Blue Groper

In 1998, New South Wales became the first state to proclaim a marine emblem. The vibrantly coloured Eastern Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) is a species of wrasse. This inquisitive, friendly fish is well known to divers and grows to a metre in length. It inhabits rocky reefs, river estuaries and seagrass beds from southern Queensland to southern Victoria. Eastern Blue Gropers are hermaphrodites, beginning their lives as female and pinky-brown in colour. After becoming sexually mature, they transition to the male sex and take on their vivid blue colour.

Queensland: Barrier Reef Anemonefish

The Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos) was officially named as Queensland’s aquatic emblem in 2005. It lives among sea anemones in the northern region of the Great Barrier Reef to northern New South Wales. The stinging tentacles of the host protect it from predators, and, in return, the fish provides certain benefits to the anemone. This anemonefish species reaches around 12 centimetres in length and is distinguished by its orange colour, white tail, and two black-edged white bars, one each across the head and body.

South Australia: Leafy Seadragon

The Leafy Seadragon (Phycodurus eques) was adopted as South Australia’s marine emblem in 2001. Around 24 centimetres in length, this ethereal-looking fish is hard to spot, as it is camouflaged by the long, seaweed-like protrusions growing on its body. Leafy Seadragons have only been found in the temperate waters of southern Australia, from Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria to Jurien Bay Marine Park in Western Australia. They are often sighted in the sea near Adelaide, South Australia. They prefer kelp-covered rocky reefs and seagrass meadows in depths from around three to 50 metres. The Leafy Seadragon is one of only three seadragons endemic to Australian waters.

For all three, the stamp and cover design were by Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio. Stamp illustration was by Roger Swainston.

Images credits:

• NSW: Sahara Frost/Adobe Stock
• QLD: Juergen Freund/Alamy Stock Photo
• SA: Hal Beral/Gettyimages.com

Medallions obverse

The images are really striking. Here we see the Anemonefish in orange, the groper in blue and seadragon in green. The cutouts around the creatures works really well, although is difficult to fully capture in a photograph.

Medallions reverse

The reverse of the medallions is simple but works well, highlighting the state each is from. It does also highlight that only three states were chosen, so I went and found the others for you. Australian states have a range of emblems, aside from flags and coats-of-arms, there are also: flowers, animals, fish, birds, gemstones and fossils. The department of Prime Minister and Cabine have produced a booklet outlining them all. Sticking with the theme, I’ve listed just the marine emblems below:

• New South Wales: Eastern Blue Groper
• Victoria: Weedy Seadragon
• Queensland: Barrier Reef Anemone fish
• South Australia: Leafy Seadragon
• Western Australia: Whale Shark
• Tasmania: (None listed)
• Australian Capital Territory: (None listed, although it is the only landlocked territory of Australia)
• Northern Territory: Barramundi

Interestingly, only NSW, Qld, WA and the NT were listed there, so for the rest, I went to Wikipedia.

Thinking about Tasmania and the ACT, perhaps Tasmanian Salmon would be an obvious choice for the Apple Aisle? And perhaps the Murray Cod for Australia’s only landlocked territory?

Stamps

Each stamp features one of the three featured creatures, on a light background. The cancellation marks on each are the same – featuring the Anemonefish and the seadragon, and the text:

First day of issue
26 March 2024
Swansea NSW 2281

For anyone not familiar with Australian addresses, in this case, Swansea is the suburb or city, NSW is the state and 2281 is the post code. Each Australian locality has one, much like post codes in Europe or a Zip code in the USA.

Does your state, or territory, have a marine emblem? Let us know in the comments! Or if you don’t have one, what would you choose?