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CHRISTMAS ISLAND
LUNAR NEW YEAR –
YEAR OF THE PIG
9 January 2007
Are you aware that the Chinese have their
own horoscopes? They have a different
sign for every year, which repeats every 12
years. Each sign is named after a different
animal, and people are said to share some
personality traits with their animal symbol.
The sign for this year is the Pig, a very
noble animal. People born in the Year of
the Pig are described as smart, loyal and
trustworthy, and make lifelong friends.
If you were born in 1995 you’re a Pig.
Other famous Pigs include Hollywood fi lmmaker
Steven Spielberg, tennis player John
McEnroe and famous singer Elton John.
The stamp sheetlet shows all the animals
of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit,
Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey,
Rooster, Dog and last but not least – the Pig!
Find out what animal you are.
AUSTRALIAN WILDFLOWERS
13 February 2007
When you go out walking, do you ever look
really closely at all the fl owers growing in our
gardens and in the bush? Some of the fl owers
have come from other countries, but in the
bush there are lots of fl owers that grow only
in Australia, and these are called Australian
wildfl owers. They come in so many wonderful
shapes, sizes and colours, we had trouble
choosing which ones to put on our stamps.
In the end we chose the Tasmanian Christmas
Bell, the Green Spider Flower, the Sturt’s Desert
Rose and one that’s so unusual it hasn’t even
got a “common name” – the Phebalium whitei.
JANUARY • FEBRUARY • MARCH
10% off
Postie Kate Stamp
Album and stickers
Postie Kate is here to help! Now keep all your new
stamps looking great with this fantastic stamp album.
There’s also a pack of fun stickers available.
Start your new collection today. You can use this
voucher to get a 10% discount off the price at
participating Australia Post outlets.
LIVING SHELLS – COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS
20 March 2007
Ever looked inside a shell you’ve picked up on the beach and
wondered who used to live inside it? Every shell has been “home”
to an incredible creature known as a “mollusc”. Shells protect them
as they travel (very slowly!) along the ocean fl oor looking for food.
Molluscs eat all sorts of things, including other molluscs (eek!).
Lots of us love the different colours and shapes of shells, but
molluscs can be just as beautiful as their shells. Look at the ones
on these stamps – the Oriental Moonsnail, the Pearly Nautilus
and the Partridge Tun all travel by crawling or swimming.
The Giant Clam is so big (its shell can weigh up to 4 times
as much as a grown person) it has to stay right where it is!
34049
34047
If undelivered return to: Australian Stamp Explorer
PO Box 4000 FERNTREE GULLY VIC 3156 AUSTRALIA
FIRST EVER
AUSTRALIAN
LENTICULAR
STAMP
88
JAN – MARCH 2007
YEAR OF THE SURF LIFESAVER
6 March 2007
The Australian craze for surf bathing began in the last years of the 19th
century. But in those early years it was illegal to swim during the day, and
for men and women to swim together! Swimming back then also meant
covering up, so the full costumes made swimming hard work.
The modern surf lifesaving movement got under way in Bondi in 1907,
and clubs soon sprang up at other beaches. Kids have always had a role
in surf clubs, but the “nipper” program for kids got its start in the late
1960s and now there are about 40,000 nippers in Australia, learning about
water safety and rescue.
Check out the $2.45 stamp in this issue and you’ll see it’s different
from our regular stamps. It’s made up of several images, which make the
rescue boat look like it’s moving through the wave. It’s the fi rst time we’ve
released such a stamp in Australia!

Hi Gang
Happy Lunar New Year to everyone, especially those people
born in the Chinese Year of the Pig! Can you spot the Year
of the Pig symbol hiding on the island? Wow, haven’t we
learned a lot about animals and plants. And what about those
“nippers”! They can swim even better than me. I wonder if I
could be a surf lifesaver? Might have trouble fi tting the cap
over my ears. Hey… surf’s up. Gotta go! See you next time.
Love Sniffer and the Stamp Gang
To subscribe, or just to
drop us a line, our address is:
Australian Stamp Explorer
Subscriptions
PO Box 4000
FERNTREE GULLY VIC 3156
WHERE WAS THE RED STRIPED “DANGEROUS AUSTRALIAN” HIDING ON EXPLORER 87?
Look on the letter “R” of the “Explorer Island” heading.
WA: Stephanie Munro, Nicole Lendich, Joel Makin, SA: Dylan Wer, Ashna Kenyon, QLD: Abby Solly, Noah Porceddu, Hanna Burrows,
Rylee Williams, Rinie Bajracharya, TAS: Emma Murray-Watton, Rianna McKenzie, VIC: Morgan Phillips, Gemma Grantham,Theo & Fiora Carbo,
NSW: Skye Lawrence, Siobhan Murphy, Lizzie Geraghty, Imogene Appleton, Eliza Ridley

COLOURING IN

…
Cricket history captured on your own souvenir
Showcasing Australia’s
fi rst circular stamp!!!

Make your own Lunar New Year Gift!
It’s traditional to give gifts in small red envelopes for the
Chinese Lunar New Year. Here’s how to make your own
to give to a friend!
You will need: Red-coloured craft paper, craft glue,
a black felt-tip pen, a little gold tinsel for decoration, scissors
(use craft or rounded end scissors), lollies, sticky tape.
Step 1: Cut a piece of paper into
a 15 x 21cm rectangle. Step 2: Fold
both short sides (sides A and B) in
towards each other, overlapping one
side over the other, then glue down.
Step 3: Now you should only have
two open ends. Fold one open end
up approximately 4cm and glue
In 1973 Australia issued its
fi rst cartoons on stamps, which
weren’t very popular back then.
down. Step 4: Draw a Pig symbol
on the front of your envelope and
decorate with tinsel. Step 5: Let your
envelope dry, then fi ll with lollies
or a small gift. Fold the open end
down and add sticky tape to close.
Happy Lunar New Year!
ACTIVITY
STAMP FACTS
The fi rst cartoon stamps were issued in 1973 to help
people become aware of Australia’s conversion to metric
measurements. Up to that time, Australia used “imperial”
measurements, such as feet and inches, instead of metres
and centimetres; and pounds and ounces, instead of
kilograms and grams.
The four metric conversion stamps show a cartoon
character, representing an average Australian, coping
with different aspects of the new metric system – length,
volume, mass and temperature. Back in 1973, some people
did not like the metric conversion stamps, perhaps because
they were our fi rst cartoon stamps ever produced and
people were not used to seeing funny things on stamps.
One Sydney newspaper called the stamps “an ugly
national embarrassment”. You decide!

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information is collected to enable
us to administer this competition.
Entries without all or part of
this information are not valid.
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in a future edition of Australian
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Packs will be awarded to the 20
entries judged to be the best.
All entries must be received by 15
February 2007 to be eligible.
Products not shown to scale
For your chance to win one of 20 Surf Lifesaver Prize Packs, just tell us in 25 words or less
What skills you would need to be a lifesaver
Competition closes
15 February 2007.
COMPETITION