Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat | Australia

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Most of Australia’s wildlife is found nowhere else in the world . 87% of mammal species, 93% of reptiles, 94% of frogs and 45% of the bird species are found only in Australia. The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is no exception.

This large, pudgy mammal is a marsupial, or pouched animal, found in Australia and on scattered islands nearby. It is solitary and nocturnal, which makes the wombat a rare sight for people in the wild. Adapted to digging, the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is a stout and robust animal with strong claws.

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Tasmanian Devil | Australia

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Most of Australia’s wildlife is found nowhere else in the world. 87% of mammal species, 93% of reptiles, 94% of frogs and 45% of the bird species are found only in Australia. Tasmanian devils can only be found in the wild in Australia. 

 

Tasmanian Devils are solitary and nocturnal, spending their days alone in hollow logs, caves, or burrows, and emerging at night to feed. Did you know Tasmanian Devils eat entire carcasses, including fur and bones?

Once found all over Australia, Tasmanian devils now live only on the island state of Tasmania. Efforts to eradicate the Devils in the late 1800s almost succeeded. But sadly they are now threatened by an illness that has already killed tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils. 

Thx Steve!

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Paddle Steamer Marion | Australia

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For much of its length, the Murray is a slow-moving river – making it absolutely perfect for a paddlesteamer. This type of boats were used in the 1800’s to transport all sorts of goods up and down the river Murray. Today a perfect way to explore the river.

Over a 100 years old, PS Marion is the only vessel of her type left in the world. PS Marion was built in 1897 and is the world's last wood fired, side paddle wheel steamers with accommodation operating.

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Australia's longest river

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The Murray River is Australia's longest river at 2,500 kilometres in length. It is the third longest navigable river in the world, after the Amazon and Nile.

 

Stamps

Australia post issued four stamps featuring Australian Owls: Sooty Owl, Rufous Owl, Eastern Grass Owl and the Southern Boobook.

Thx Steve!

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The Australian Pelican

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The Australian Pelican is found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea and western Indonesia. There are seven species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and, with one exception, are primarily white in colour. 

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Murray River Mouth | Australia

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With a 2,500 kilometers in length, the Murray River is Australia's longest river. Murray Mouth is the point at which the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean.

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Cookie the Little Penguin | Australia

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The video I stumbled upon, inspired me to post this card here. It shows a cute Little Penguin by the name Cookie. Little penguins are the smallest species of penguin in the world, with an average height of just 33 centimetres. They are found only on the southern coastlines of Australia and New Zealand. 

Australian little penguin colonies primarily exist on offshore islands, like Granite Island, where they are protected from feral terrestrial predators and human disturbance. The population of Little Penguins is decreasing as numerous colonies have recently declined or disappeared. 

(thx for sending Steve!)

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Wang Wang and Fu Ni | Australia

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Adelaide Zoo is home to more than 3000 animals. But two of them are very special: Wang Wang and Fu Ni. Two Giant Pandas, born in Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre, China and moved to Adelaide Zoo in November 2009.

Thx Steve!

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Green Island | Australia

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Green Island is a coral cay surrounded by white sandy beaches and sapphire blue waters just 45 minutes from Cairns, Australia. The island is located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

No people live on the island, but is it a popular tourist attraction, especially for day trippers from Cairns.

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From Victor Harbor to Granite Island by horse tram | Australia

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The Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Trams are a South Australian icon and have been serving visitors to Granite Island and Victor Harbor since 1894. 

The Tram uses 14 Clydesdale Horses on a rotational basis to transport approximately 50 passengers for each ride. Each horse works only two shifts a week with the trams running on roller bearings, to make it easy work for them.

Stamps

A series of four stamps dedicated to four iconic tourist-transport-vehicles (2015).

Thx again Steve! 

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Granite Island | Australia

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Granite Island is a small island next to Victor Harbor, South Australia. There are no permanent residents on the island but it is a popular tourist attraction. The main reason to visit the island is the magical Little penguins (also known as Fairy penguins). The way to travel to the island is by antique horse-drawn tram.

The main picture shows a Leafy Seadragon, a fish that looks like a plant. This  little dragon is found only in southern Australian waters.

Thx Steve!

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Lunar landscape in Mungo National Park | Australia

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Mungo National Park is located in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Wilandra Lakes Region.

 

The fossil remains of a series of lakes and sand formations that date from the Pleistocene can be found in this region, together with archaeological evidence of human occupation dating from 45–60,000 years ago.

Stamp

The stamp is part of a series of three stamps issued in 2014 and depicting some of Australia’s untouched wilderness. This stamp shows Victoria’s Alpine National Park. 

Thx Steve!

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The dogs that saved Macquarie Island | Australia

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Macquarie Island is located halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. The island is a long, thin strip, 34km long and about 5km wide. One of the few points of land in that part of the planet where native birds and other wildlife can breed.

Since humans visited the island in the early 1800’s, the island got infested by all kind of rabbits and rodents. Introducing cats to the island wasn’t a good idea when the growing cat population became a problem itself. In the early 1980s myxomatosis was introduced and it helped for a while.

In 2007 a new approach was launched. It involved killing most of the rabbits with baits dropped from helicopters, then bringing in detection dogs to eliminate any survivors. On 8 April 2014 Macquarie Island was officially declared pest-free after seven years of conservation efforts.

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The vital role played by dogs in eradicating rabbits and rodents from Macquarie Island has been commemorated in a special stamp series.

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Kangaroo Island | Australia

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Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. The island is located about 13km off the coast near Adelaide. It is known for its spectacular landscapes and amazing diversity of wildlife. So you will find not only kangaroos.

Remarkable rocks are one of the signature landmarks on the island. It took millions of years for rain, wind, and pounding waves to create these granite boulders which are now part of the Flinders Chase National Park.

 

Located on Kangaroo Island, Seal Bay has been home to an Australian sea lion population for thousands of years.

Stamps

Part of a series of (I guess 26) alphabet stamps.   

thx Steve!

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Common Brushtail Possum | Australia

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Common Brushtail Possums live in urban areas, forests and woodlands all over Australia. These possums were introduced to New Zealand in the 1830s but are considered a pest there. While in Australia it is a protected species.

 

Stamp

This stamp commemorates the founding of the first "official" settlement in Victoria at Portland by the Henty family, on the 19 November, 1834. The stamp shows the Leadbeater's Possum, only to be found in Victoria. (issue 1984)

Thx Steve!

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Coober Pedy | Australia

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Coober Pedy is an opal mining town in South Australia, located in an extremely inhospitable environment.

The town’s name is an anglicized version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti", meaning something like "white man in a hole". Half the population lives in underground dugouts to escape high temperatures in summer.

Stamp

A stamp to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II – the longest-reigning British monarch. Part of a set of five stamps.

Thx Steve!

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Opal capital of the world: Coober Pedy | Australia

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Australia produces around 95% of the world's opal for use in the jewellery industry. There are lots of opal mining towns in Australia but only one is well known throughout the world: Coober Pedy.

The opal mining fields of Coober Pedy lie in the outback of South Australia, 750 km north of Adelaide. Many of the locals in Coober Pedy prefer to live underground in dugouts where it is cool in summer and warm in winter.

Stamp

In 1995 Australia issued two stamps with opal holograms. When the stamp is held up to the light the hologram comes to life just like an opal and the color rolls and changes when you move the stamp. 

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Living underground in Coober Pedy | Australia

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Coober Pedy, an opal mining town in South Australia, is located in an extremely inhospitable environment. Desert temperatures in the summer but it can get quite chilly in the winter. So what to do? Go underground!

The sandstone in Coober Pedy is perfectly suited for underground homes. It is easy to dig through, like all sandstone, but it is very strong and stable.

Need another shelf? Dig a hole in the wall. Shelf not big enough for the new stereo? Dig a bit deeper. A walk in robe? Dig a big hole. Another bed room? Not a problem! And always the off chance of finding some opal...

Stamp

A stamp to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II – the longest-reigning British monarch. Princess Elizabeth, at the age of 25, acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952. The coronation of the new Queen took place more than a year later, on 2 June 1953, at which she was formally crowned Queen of the United Kingdom.

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Adelaide Jacarandas | Australia

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The Jacaranda is a sub-tropical tree native to certain parts of South America. Because of its abundant and long-lasting blue flowers it has been widely planted elsewhere. Also in Australia. The South American trees have become synonymous to certain areas around Adelaide.

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Lighthouses in South Australia

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Seven lighthouses are featured on this postcard: Cape Spencer, Cape du Couedic, Cape Willoughby, West Cape, Port Adelaide, Cape Borda and Corny Point. All located in South Australia.

 

The lighthouse in the centre of the card is Cape du Couedic Light, located on Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island after Tasmania and Melville.  

Stamps

100 Years of Commonwealth Management of Lighthouses. The stamp issues feature four historic and architecturally diverse Australian lighthouses.  

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