September is designated by Australia Post as Collecting Month – set aside to celebrate the popular pastimes of coin and stamp collecting. The theme for the 2023 collection is Big Things – and the great Australian road trip – and none other than Muswellbrook’s beloved Big Blue Heeler takes its place among nine other Aussie Big Things to grace a new $1 collectable coin.
Australia Post and the Royal Australian Mint have launched the Big Things collection featuring the biggest and the best of Australia. Alongside the Big Blue Heeler are the Big Tasmania Devil, Giant Murray Cod, Big Pineapple, Giant Koala, Big Swoop, Big Crocodile, Big Lobster, Giant Ram and the Big Banana.
Council collaborated with the Royal Australian Mint and Australia Post to bring the project to fruition. The opportunity to appear on a legal tender coin is a rare privilege typically reserved for occasions and themes of national significance that capture the broad interest of the Australian community.
The Big Blue Heeler Coin is based on Muswellbrook’s Blue Heeler statue, masterfully crafted by renowned sculpture and casting expert Brett “Mon” Garling in 2016. The coin further incorporates an image of Campbells Corner adding an additional layer of local significance.
The two-metre-tall statue in the Muswellbrook town centre commemorates the Australian cattle dog which originated in the local area in the 1840s. Known for their endurance, agility and diligent nature, the dogs are recognised for their stamina, ability to muster bush cattle and withstand the heat.
For those interested in following the Big Things trail…
The Big Tasmanian Devil stands at the entrance to Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Tasmania. Although not a threatened species, the Australian Magpie is noted for its tuneful yodelling call. The Big Swoop sculpture is in Garema Place in central Canberra.
The Giant Koala, a massive structure of 14 metres by eight metres – more of a building than a sculpture – is located in the western Victorian town of Dadswell Bridge, while Swan Hill is home to the Giant Murray Cod.
Queensland boasts the Big Pineapple at Woombye on the Sunshine Coast and NSW the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour and the Giant Ram in Goulburn. The Big Lobster dominates the landscape in Kingston SE, South Australia and last, but certainly not least, is the Big Jumping Crocodile at the Adelaide River Bridge, Wak Wak, east of Darwin in the NT which represents a crocodile leaping out of the water to catch food.
Collectors and enthusiasts can acquire the collections at Muswellbrook Post Office, including cash tills, individual coin cards and collection tubes, from Monday, September 4. The Big Things collection includes postal numismatic covers, postcards, 10-coin boxed proof collections in both silver and base metal and individual collector’s coin sets.
The Big Things coin collection joins the Great Cattle Dog Muster and the 10th Anniversary of the Blue Heeler Film Festival in celebrating all things “big and blue” in Muswellbrook Shire during September and October.
