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We felt that at least some readers of SSC might like to have a complete list of Australian stamps and other items of interest, as well as some brief descriptions of the caves or other views depicted - so here it is.

Figure 1 shows where all of the listed places are located, which might help to give some idea of their geography.

 

Map of Australia showing listed cave locations

We would be glad to trade any items which are readily available, but some others are very hard to find indeed. We have included a little note against each item so that you will know what we can get. Do feel free to write to either of us.

As so many others have said, deciding what is a cave stamp is entirely up to the individual. We include what seems appropriate to our way of thinking, but some people might include others. Much of Australia consists of dry sandstone country, and the wind commonly erodes out shallow overhangs in the rock. If you call these caves, then not only do a number of stamps show this kind of country, but many of the early explorers would have seen them. We have not listed them all here.

On January 1st.1889, a post office was opened at Jenolan Caves. These are the best-known of the Australian Caves, having been discovered in about 1838 and commonly visited since the 1850' s. A famous feature is the Grand Arch - actually an immense cave - through which the main road to the caves passes.

Some 200,000 visitors per annum see the caves today, and new caves are still being discovered in the area. Jenolan is also of historic interest. It was the subject of one of the first books to be illustrated with photographs taken underground. This was Samuel Cook's "Australian Wonderland" and the photographs had been taken by both Jones and Kerry, each of whom were responsible for many of the later picture postcards of Jenolan. Cook's book was published in London in 1889. Another historic touch is that electric lighting was first used in the caves on an experimental basis in 1880, and was permanently installed underground in 1887.

However, the first stamp commonly included as a cave stamp was from the state of Tasmania in 1899. This was a 2½d. blue stamp, showing Tasman's Arch, which is a very large coastal arch in dolerite. This stamp, and others in the same series, were based upon photographs by John Watt Beattie, founder of the Tourist Association of Tasmania. As far as we know, this was the earliest stamp to show a cave, but also the set to which it belongs was the first issued to promote tourism. (S.G. 232: readily available)
 

1899 Tasman's Arch

During the period 1901-1912, an immense number of picture postcards were published, and some hundreds of these showed caves. However, as far as we can find, only one was issued by a postal service and this was a Queensland postcard of about 1908 showing a view inside a North Queensland Cave. This is: very scarce - neither of us have ever even seen one. Some other cards were issued by other governmental agencies, e.g., Western Australian Caves Board, Western Australian State Tourist Bureau, South Australian Tourist Bureau, Victorian Railways and others. Perhaps we should also say that one slightly unusual feature of Australian show or tourist caves is that they are, and virtually always have been, managed by governmental agencies. Only one is privately owned.

Most Australian cave postcards were privately published. They were often taken by photographers of great skill, including Charles Kerry of Sydney and Spurling of Tasmania. Both of these produced photographs which would be hard to better with present-day equipment. Other famous photographers include Phillips, Bulmer & Caire - while many others were un-named in spite of producing views of superb quality and beauty. The artist A.H. Fullwood also painted six views of Jenolan which were used on cards. Postcards of this period range from more or less easy to find up to extremely rare.

In 1901, the Federation of Australia was formed, and the postal services were organized on an Australian basis rather than by separate states.

However, the first Australian stamps did not appear until 1913. Lettercards with imprinted stamps were issued from 1911 onwards, and until 1924, these had a scenic view on the reverse side. One of these views showed a scene in Naracoorte Caves, South Australia. (Rare) This view seems most common on the 1915 lettercard (Higgins & Gage 9) printed in a whole variety of colors - red, sepia, maroon, green, violet, dark brown and blue were all used.

The Naracoorte Caves had been known since white settlement of the area (about 1848), and were commonly visited from that time on. One of the caves is large and open to the surface through three large dolines. It was a popular spot for picnics, and was later fitted with a dance floor and used for dancing. In the 1890' s, the manager was given funds by the government to employ men to search for new caves and make them open to the public as a tourist attraction. As a result, two new and relatively beautiful caves were found- the Alexandra and the Victoria. The view shown on the lettercard is from the Alexandra.

 

Lettercard showing interior of  the Naracoorte Caves issued 1915, postmark 1918

The Wellington Valley in New South Wales was discovered in 1817 by John Oxley who was the surveyor-general (see Oxley again below) and by the 1820's, the valley was settled and the caves had been discovered. An expedition led by Captain Charles Sturt visited the Wellington Caves in 1828, and a member of Sturt's party, Hamilton Hume, described the caves in a letter. Sturt later (1833) wrote the first published account.

In 1929 (2nd. June), the Australian post office issued two stamps - l½d red and 3d. blue - showing Sturt. (S.G:117-8: readily available) Sturt also appears on a British stamp of 1973, while Oxley and Hume as well as Sturt will appear again in this listing.
 

1929 Captain Charles Sturt from Australia

1973 Captain Charles Sturt from Great Britain

The next more-or-less philatelic event was in 1938 - the 150th anniversary of white settlement in Australia. Two series of cinderella stickers were published in New South Wales, and one sticker in each series showed a view: from Jenolan Caves. The Minaret - a particularly fine stalagmite from the River Cave - was on a multi-colored sticker, while the Bath of Venus in the Skeleton Cave appeared on a sepia and purple sticker. (Both hard to get)
 

1938 Cinderella showing stalagmite Minaret from Jenolan Caves ( River Cave)

1938 Cinderella showing Bath of Venus from Jenolan Caves (Skeleton Cave)

Wellington Caves are relevant to the issue in 1946 of three stamps commemorating
the work of Major Thomas Mitchell. Mitchell visited and explored the Wellington Caves in 1830 and during his investigations, many fossil bones were discovered. Specimens taken from the caves were sent to London, where they were ultimately described by Richard Owen. He was the first to recognize and name the Diprotodon, an extinct animal about the size of a rhinoceros and hence much larger than any living Australian animal. The stamps issued were 2½d. red, 3½d. blue and 1/- green. (S.G. 216-8; readily available)
 

1946 Sir Thomas Mitchell.

In 1947 the Australian Post Office conducted a design competition. Among the, entries submitted were a series of essays by Janes Berry of New Zealand and his proposed design for a 2/- stamp showed the Grand Arch at Jenolan caves. Berry's entry was rejected on the grounds that he was not an Australian citizen. The original Jenolan Caves essay sold at a recent Melbourne auction for $105. (EH-S can make photo copies available - these are taken from one of Berry's own photographs, not from the essay itself.)

A 2/- definitive stamp issued in 1948 depicted what was said to be an Aboriginal rock carving. In fact, although based upon the Aboriginal style, it was designed by a white Australian (Mr. G. Sellheim); is not true Aboriginal art, and not related to any specific cave site. (S.G. 224: readily available),
 

1948 "Aboriginal" Art

Similarly, a set of three bogus stamps appeared in 1952 purporting to come from the Monte Bello Islands which were used as an atomic test site at that time. The 6d. value shows what was claimed to be an Aboriginal cave painting. (Often available, but excessively expensive)
 

1952 the Monte Bello Islands

Then in 1958, a 4d. brown stamp celebrating the 75th anniversary of mining at Broken Hill (N.S.W.) had Aboriginal cave paintings and rock engravings depicted in a panel. This design was based upon carvings in the Umberumberka Caves, some 50 km from Broken Hill. (S.G. 305 : readily available)
 

1958 Umberumberka Caves Art

Australia converted to decimal currency in 1966, and the $1.00 banknote issued then and since again depicts Aboriginal art. Again, it is a stylized design produced by a white artist, and although some of the motifs are similar to those seen in caves of Northern Australia, none are truly authentic. (readily available)

Sir William Edgeworth David appears on a 5c. stamp printed in dark green on green paper and issued in 1968. He was a leading Australian geologist, who among other studies, carried out investigations of caves at both Wombeyan and Yarrangobilly (S.G. 432; readily available)
 

1968 Sir William Edgeworth David

The most realistic representation of Aboriginal cave art appeared in 1973, when a 30c. multi-colored stamp depicted cave paintings from a cave near, Oenpelli in northern Australia. This stamp reflects the growing awareness amongst white Australians of the beauty and validity of Aboriginal cultural forms. (S.G. 496; readily available)
 

1973 Oenpelli Cave Paintings

On April 1st., a pictorial postmarker was introduced at the Jenolan Caves post office and it depicts the broken column which is a famous feature of the Lucas Cave. On the 10th August of the same year, the original post office building was opened as a historic museum and some covers were postmarked on that day to commemorate that event. (postmark readily available, but the 1974 special dates are virtually impossible to obtain)
 

1976 the Jenolan Caves

We have already referred to Hamilton Hume and John Oxley as early explorers of Wellington. They are shown on two 18c. multicolored stamps issued in 1976. Oxley was also one of the discoverers of the Wombeyan Caves while Hume was one of the first whites to see the Bungonia caves area, although he apparently failed to find the caves. (S.G. 616-7; readily available)
 

1976 John Oxley

1976 Hamilton Hume (with Hovell)

A set appeared in 1979 showing various of Australia's National Parks, but only one of these showed a karst scene. This is a 20c multicoloured stamp which depicts the 'forest' of karst pinnacles at Nambung National Park, Western Australia. A maximum card is also available. (S.G. 7l2; stamp readily available; maximum card only available as one of set of seven)
 

1979 A set  showing various of Australia's National Parks (karst pinnacles at Nambung)

A further pictorial postmarker, this time at Mole Creek, Tasmania, was introduced on 1st November 1979. It shows an extremely stylized cave, named as King Solomon's Cave (one of the show caves at Mole Creek) and is used only for First Day Covers. The initial marker introduced at this time was 45mm. in diameter. (45mm. marker no longer used, and very hard to obtain)

In 1978, the Australian Post Office commenced issuing pre-stamped envelopes to commemorate various events or personalities. Various of them can be related to caves, and we simply list these in order of issue:
 

14-05-1980	International Museum Day 22c.	Stamp impression depicts a re-construction of the skeleton of Diprotodon, first discovered at Wellington Caves
12-11-1980	Captain Charles Sturt 22c.	Wellington Caves again
16-09-1981	The Outward Bound Movement)* 24c.	Some covers were postmarked at Jenolan, in both purple and black postmarkers
21-10-1981	World Heritage Commission meeting in Australia 24c.	Stamp impression shows Aboriginal hand stencil paintings from a cave near Laura, Queensland
)* organization which provided character training programs based in the outdoors and the activities include caving

(These pre-stamped envelopes are all readily available, but those with the Jenolan postmark on the Outward Bound envelope or the Laura postmark on the Heritage envelope are very hard to get and expensive),

On 26th July 1982, covers with an unofficial cachet and autographed by the expedition leader, Bro, Nicholas Sullivan, were posted at Chillagoe to mark the Explorer's Club expedition to the Chillagoe Caves. (available from Bro Nicholas or EH-S)

The Mole Creek postmarker was changed on 4th August 1982 to one of 35mm. diameter. It is of similar design to the earlier marker. Covers do exist bearing both markers on the one cover. (35mm. marker readily available on first day covers only, but 45mm or the cover with both extremely scarce)

From 1976, the Australian Post Office commenced issuing colored postcards, each with a scenic view on one side and the same view in miniature appearing as the stamp imprint on the address side. These have appeared in sets, and the first of interest to speleophilatelists appeared in 1982. Both are of 27c. denomination. One shows a coastal arch in Victoria, and the other shows the: Bath of Venus in the Skeleton Cave, Jenolan. Both the scene and the pre-printed stamp on the Jenolan card are printed in reverse.

Many have been postmarked with the Jenolan postmarker. (Still readily available, but once stocks are exhausted, will only be available as part of a full set and hence costly)

A third pictorial post marker appeared on 12th January 1983, when markers for both first day cover and everyday use were placed in service at Naracoorte, South Australia. Reference has already been made to Naracoorte above, but in 1969, speleologists entered a previously un-discovered section of the Victoria Cave and found what is one of the largest deposits of Pleistocene fossils ever discovered. This has since been under investigation by researchers, but it is open to public view from a rock ledge overlooking one end of the deposit. This has led to a re-awakening of interest in the Naracoorte Caves. Some covers exist with both post markers on the one cover. (Readily available);

The Tantanoola Cave of South Australia is a small but beautiful cave, discovered in 1930 and open to the public ever since. In 1982, it was closed so that the lighting system could be replaced and new paths constructed. The new paths were designed and built so that the whole cave is accessible to handicapped people, including those in wheelchairs. It was formally re-opened on 28th April 1983, and a series of 50 covers were postmarked to commemorate the occasion. Each one has an Australian Antarctic Territory stamp showing either a seal or a penguin and these were chosen because the cave contained fossil bones of both seals and penguins. (very few available)

Finally, at this stage, the unofficial "Independent state of Rainbow Creek" in Eastern Victoria which issues its own cinderella stamps, produced a series under the general title 'Beautiful Gippsland,' showing views of eastern Victoria - the commonly used name for which is Gippsland. The 32c. multi-colored stamp shows the Buchan Valley, which is the major karst area in Victoria, having some 400 caves. (readily available as part of a set of four stamps)
 

1983 Buchan Valley Cinderella

We have included illustrations of nearly all the items, but some have already appeared in SSC. Here is a list of previous notes or illustrations from Australia:
 

$1.00 banknote : SSC 7
Jenolan postmark: on the front cover of SSC nos. 1-9
Mole Creek postmark: SSC13
Outward Bound prestamped envelope: SSC, 11
Heritage Commission prestamped envelope: SSC 13
Chillagoe expedition cover: SSC9,13
Jenolan postcard: SSC 9 ,12
Coastal Arch postcard: SSC 9
Naracoorte postmark: SSC 11,12