In 1933 United Kingdom placed the Antarctic territory situated from 60°S latitude to the South Pole and between longitudes 160°E and 45°E under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia. It became the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT), which is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation. Australia has a long historic connection with Antarctica dating back to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (about which I wrote here) led by geologist Sir Douglas Mawson. Now, the territory is inhabited by the staff of research stations.
The Australian Antarctic Division administers the area primarily by maintaining three year-round stations (Mawson, Davis and Casey), which support various research projects. In this maxicard is depicted the David Range (named after Sir Edgeworth David), a mountain range 8 km west of the Masson Range, which it parallels, in the Framnes Mountains, sighted and named in February 1931 by the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition under Douglas Mawson. Its peaks rise to 1,500m.
As an aside, I should mention that the first permanent Romanian station for research and exploration in Antarctica, Law-Racoviţă Station, named after the Romanian explorer Emil Racoviţă, was inaugurated on January 13, 2006 at the location of a station constructed in 1986 by Australia and donated to Romania.
About the stamp
Australia issues postage stamps for the Australian Antarctic Territory since 1957, settling into a pattern of an annual issue by the 1990s. All have been Antarctic-themed, and all are valid for postage in Australia and its territories, including Antarctica, so in practice they are just Australian stamps with a different inscription.
This maxicard is part of a series of four, associated of a series of stamps with the AAT Mountains, designed by Sharon Rodziewicz and issued on March, 12, 2013 which continue the AAT Landscapes series which began with the iceberg issue in 2011. The four stamps (and maxicards) are:
• Mt. Parsons (0,60 AUD)
• Manson Escarpment (0,60 AUD)
• South Masson Range (1,20 AUD)
• David Range (1,80 AUD) - The maxicard 0664
This is a post for Sunday Stamps #124, run by Viridian from Viridian’s Postcard Blog. The theme of this week is Anything you wish. Click on the button to visit Viridian’s blog and all the other participants.
References
Australian Antarctic Territory - Wikipedia
Australian Antarctic Territory - Australian Government official website
AAT Mountains, maxicard set - Australia Post official website
Sender: Heather Massese (direct swap)
Sent from Perth (Western Australia / Australia), on 19.04.2013
Photo: Wayne Papps / Australian Antarctic Division / 2006
Great MaxiCard! We were in Australia last year. It is one place I sure hope to go back and visit again.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I do not think I'll ever get there.
DeleteA beautiful card and stamp and so recent too.
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend in Australia. :)
DeleteA beautiful maxicard, really nice postcard and stamp with a nice postmark as a bonus. Couldn't ask for more! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice maxicard. I just took a detour to the Australia Post site to look at their maxicards.
ReplyDeleteOh, Australia post issue all the time maxicards.
DeleteReally wonderful card for your extensive collection. Great geology too. thank you for participating.
ReplyDeleteThank you too.
DeleteI always love the idea that the post can be found in even the most remote of outposts. No, I don't mean Australia. ;)
ReplyDeleteNot many cards or stamps featuring Antarctica are shown. You are fortunate!
ReplyDeleteMy secret dream is to receive a postcard sent from a station from Antarctica.
DeleteWonderful maxicard!!!
ReplyDeleteWilla @ The Postage Journal: My Sunday Stamp#57
Nice contrast to Antarctica of the senders Australian temperature. I enjoy mountain climbing but having read Mawson's description of the wind there maybe not in Antarctica. I like how the stamps are valid for all Australia and they produce some great maxicards.
ReplyDelete