Omari Gates
Australia's currency is known for its vibrant colours and unique designs. Each Australian banknote has a distinct colour, making it easy to distinguish between denominations. For example, the $50 note is yellow, while the $5 note is purple. Australia was the first country to adopt polymer plastic for its banknotes, which are stronger, more secure, and last longer than traditional paper notes. The country's currency has undergone several changes, with the Reserve Bank of Australia continuously innovating its design and security features, such as the inclusion of a tactile feature to assist the visually impaired. The colourful Australian currency has become so iconic that it has earned nicknames like lobster for the $20 note and pineapple for the $50 note.
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What You'll Learn
Australian notes are made of polymer plastic, not paper
Australian banknotes are made of polymer plastic, not paper. Australia was the first country in the world to use polymer plastic for its notes, which it did to combat a huge counterfeit money issue in the 1960s. Polymer notes are stronger, harder to copy, and last up to four times longer than paper notes. They are also waterproof and can be sanitized with less damage compared to paper notes.
The polymer used in Australian notes is called polypropylene polymer. This synthetic polymer incorporates security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. The complex design of polymer notes makes them notoriously difficult to counterfeit.
Polymer notes were first issued as currency in Australia in 1988, coinciding with Australia's bicentennial year. By 1996, the Australian dollar had been completely switched over to polymer. Australia has since provided expertise to many other countries to help develop and print polymer notes.
The colourful and characterful design of Australian currency has been praised by some, although others have compared it to Monopoly money. The Reserve Bank of Australia has been in the process of redesigning the banknotes to include new security features and a more 'youthful' design.
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The $5 note has a rolling colour effect and an image of a native bird
Australia was the first country to print notes on polymer plastic instead of paper. Plastic notes are stronger, harder to copy, and last up to four times longer than paper notes. Each note is a different size and colour, making it easier to distinguish between them. For example, the $50 note is larger and yellow, while the $5 note is smaller and purple.
The $5 note also has a rolling colour effect and an image of a native bird. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced that each banknote in the new series would depict a different species of Australian wattle and a native bird. The $5 note features the Prickly Moses wattle and the Eastern Spinebill, a colourful bird with a patchwork of nearly every hue in the rainbow. This is in contrast to the bird's real-life appearance, which has a more subdued palette ranging from white to black. The RBA stated that the design followed "a process of extensive consultation with subject matter experts".
The Eastern Spinebill also appears on the $5 note in an invisible, ultraviolet (UV) version. When a UV light is shone on the note, an image of the bird shows up, making it difficult for counterfeiters to replicate. The clear window, tactile texture, and rolling colour effects are other features of the $5 note.
The colourful design of Australian currency has been noted by many, with some comparing it to Monopoly money. The unique designs and vibrant colours of the notes have become a source of nostalgia for some, and the nicknames for each note, such as "lobster" for the $20 note and "pineapple" for the $50 note, further reflect the playful nature of Australian currency.
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The $10 note has a clear window
Australia was the first country to print notes on polymer plastic instead of paper. These plastic notes are stronger, harder to copy, and last up to four times longer than paper notes. The $10 note is one of the four original decimal banknotes that were issued when the currency was changed from the Australian pound to the Australian dollar on 14 February 1966.
The $10 note has had four different issues. The first was a paper banknote, followed by a commemorative hi-polymer note to celebrate the bicentennial of Australian settlement. The third issue was a polymer note from 1993 to 2017, and the fourth issue, released in September 2017, is a polymer note featuring a transparent window. This clear window includes a raised image or embossing of wavy lines and a windmill. The note also includes two raised dots to help the vision-impaired distinguish denominations.
The clear window is not the only security feature of the $10 note. It also has a rolling patch of colour to secure it from counterfeiting, fluorescent colouring on the serial numbers, and microprinting.
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The $100 note looks like bubblegum
Australian banknotes are colourful, with each denomination featuring a distinct colour. The $100 note, for example, has a unique bubblegum-like hue. This vibrant colour palette has earned Australian currency nicknames like "lobster" for the $20 note and "pineapple" for the $50 note. The $100 note, though less commonly encountered, has been dubbed "granny smith".
The $100 note's eye-catching colour is not its only distinctive feature. It is also the largest denomination in the Australian banknote series, measuring 158 by 65 millimetres. Introduced in 1984, the $100 note was first printed on polymer plastic, a material that Australia was the first country to use for currency. Polymer notes are stronger, more durable, and harder to counterfeit than traditional paper notes.
The $100 note celebrates the contributions of two distinguished Australians: Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba. Sir John Monash was a prominent engineer, soldier, and civic leader, recognised for his command in the First World War and his significant role in the building construction industry. Dame Nellie Melba, on the other hand, was an internationally acclaimed soprano who performed across the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She also contributed to civic work in Australia, raising funds for war charities.
The banknote features the Acacia pycnantha, commonly known as the golden wattle, and the Australian Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae). These motifs represent Australia's unique flora and fauna. The note also includes excerpts from Melba's autobiography, Melodies and Memories, and a letter written by Monash, further honouring their legacies.
The $100 note's vibrant colour, coupled with its tribute to notable Australians and Australian nature, makes it a unique and memorable part of the country's currency. Its bubblegum hue adds a playful touch to the design, perhaps contributing to the sense of nostalgia that Australian currency evokes for some.
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Australian money is more colourful than other currencies
The vibrant colour palette used on Australian currency has led to some interesting slang terms for the notes. For example, $20 notes are called "lobsters", while $50 notes are known as "pineapples".
The colours of the notes are not the only thing that sets Australian currency apart. In 1988, Australia became the first country to print its banknotes on polymer plastic instead of paper. These notes are stronger, harder to copy, and last up to four times longer than paper notes. They also feature a transparent window with a diffractive optically variable device (DOVD) image of Captain James Cook as a security feature.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has continuously innovated its currency. In 2015, it announced that the next series of notes would include a tactile feature to help the visually impaired community identify the value of the note. The new $5 note, issued in 2016, includes this tactile feature and a rolling colour effect. When moved in a certain way, an image of an eastern spinebill (a native bird) appears, moving its wings and changing colours.
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Frequently asked questions
Australian money is colourful because the Reserve Bank of Australia has continuously innovated its banknotes, including adding a rolling colour effect to its new A$5 banknote.
Australian banknotes are made of polypropylene polymer, a type of plastic.
Plastic banknotes are stronger, harder to copy, and last up to four times longer than paper notes.
Australian banknotes were the first in the world to include a transparent "window" with a diffractive optically variable device (DOVD) image of Captain James Cook as a security feature. They also include microprinting for further security.
