New Stamps of the World – By Denise McCarty 

A set of recent Australian stamps show artistic patterns of landscapes revealed through aerial photography.

The four $1 domestic-rate Art and Nature stamps were issued June 12. In announcing these stamps, Australia Post described them as “supersized stamps, taking a bird’s eye view of local landscapes to reflect sublime art.”

The stamps measure 50 millimeters by 30mm each.

Michael Zsolt, Australia Post philatelic manager, explained why the larger size was needed: “To showcase these abstracted Australian landscapes and their painterly quality, these stamps are double-definitive in size, giving a larger than usual ‘canvas.’”

One stamp reproduces Richard Woldendorp’s 1997 photograph of an estuary and sandbanks at Cape Capricorn, Queensland.

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The other three show photographs by Christian Fletcher: shifting sands of Shark Bay and waves crashing at Wyadup Rocks in Western Australia and the pink waters of Lake Mac-Donnell in South Australia.

In an article in Australia Traveler magazine found online at www.australiantraveller.com, Courtney Spicer reported that Lake MacDonnell and four other lakes in South Australia “get their vibrant pink hues from a salt-loving algae that is attracted to the high salinity levels found in the water.”

She added, “The vibrant colours of these lakes change according to the seasons, cloud cover, salinity levels in the water and the time of day, so while you might not always be guaranteed bubble-gum pink views, we can promise you stunning shades year-round.”

The stamps were designed by the firm Andrew Hogg Design. They were printed in four booklets of 10 and in a souvenir sheet with the four designs setenant (side-by-side) by EGO.