Australian
Antarctic Territory
FIRST STAMPS Australia
1947-57.
FIRST STAMPS ISSUED 27 March 1957. (Australian release
date; first day of issue in Antarctica 11 December 1957). All stamps are valid
for use in Australia.
CURRENCY
1956, as
Australia.
Comprises all the
islands and territory other than Adelie Land situated south of lat. 600s. and
between long. 1600 and 450E. Macquarie Island was claimed by New South Wales in
1810 and controlled from Tasmania by 1891. Visited since 1831, the mainland
territory was claimed on 24 August 1936, though a base was not established
until 11 February 1954. Heard Island had been visited at intervals by explorers
and sealers from 1833, but effective control with a permanent base was not
exercised until 26 December 1947 when the Australian flag was raised.
Mail is known from numerous
Antarctic expeditions: Mawson in 1911 (used stamps of Tasmania), Shackleton in
1921-2 (used stamps of Britain), Mawson again in 1929-31 (used stamps of
Australia), and the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE)
of 1947- 65. The five permanent bases with POs are Heard Island (opened 25
December 1947); Macquarie Island (7 March 1948); Mawson (15 February 1954);
Davis (14 January 1957); Wilkes (1 February 1959).
Used stamps of Australia
1947-57.
| 
