Obverse. Photo © Downies
  • 50 Cents 2002, KM# 602, Australia, Elizabeth II, Year of the Outback
  • 50 Cents 2002, KM# 602, Australia, Elizabeth II, Year of the Outback
Description

2002 was designated as the Year of the Outback, to celebrate that part of Australia that is so internationally famous (but actually lived in by very few Australians). It raised community awareness of the land and our heritage bringing together Australians and their powerful national spirit.

Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2002
IRB

Reverse

Depicts a windmill, an iconic outback feature that stands guard over the precious Australian water supply.

Engraver: Wojciech Pietranik

50 CENTS

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 15.55 g
Diameter 31.5 mm
Thickness 3 mm
Shape polygon
Sides 12
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Australian Mint (RAM)

Related coins

2nd portrait, Aussie Round

Silver, 13.28 g, ⌀ 31.5 mm
2nd portrait, Polygon

Cupronickel, 15.55 g, ⌀ 31.5 mm
2nd portrait, 200th Anniversary of the Exploration of the Eastern Coast of Australia by James Cook

Cupronickel, 15.75 g, ⌀ 31.5 mm