What are some curious facts about the Australian postal system and stamps produced Down Under? Before Australia was incorporated as an individual country, each colony issued its own stamps. One of the very first Australian stamps was printed in 1850 in New South Wales. Today, what was at one time a one penny stamp for New South Wales is worth approximately $5,000.

1913 saw the first widespread use of an Australia stamp. These stamps featured a kangaroo series and a map series. Although Great Britain is usually given credit for creating the universal one penny postal system, Australia actually had such a system in place in New South Wales long before James Chalmers introduced the idea to British Parliament in 1834.

According to postal metrics, the country produces approximately one billion stamps per year, and more than one million Australians consider themselves serious stamp collectors. In 1995 and 1996, the government experimented with the idea of producing stamps which looked like precious stones. An opalescent stamp was produced, followed by a stamp that shimmered like a diamond. Unsurprisingly, both stamps turned the heads of international philatelists.

Given that Australia is still quite a rough country in some parts, the national postal system's persistence is quite impressive. The integration of aboriginal Australian society has posed critical questions to the government, however. One of these issues that still needs exploration is how to integrate aboriginal communications systems with those in place for the national government.