Australia. New Three-Coin Collection Features Prominent Author’s Timeless Verses

Released to coincide with the 140^th anniversary of her birth, Dorothea Mackellar’s words are woven into the fabric of Australia’s cultural identity while also capturing the spirit of the Australian landscape. Her poetry, rich with emotion captures the beauty, harshness and spirit of the land she so adored.

Born on the 1^st July 1885 on the family residence known as Dunara at Point Piper in Sydney, Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar was the third child and only daughter of physician and parliamentarian Sir Charles Mackellar and his wife Marion Buckland. Although raised in a professional urban family, Mackellar's poetry is usually regarded as written with a quintessential style depicting the life, character and scenery of the Australian bush or outback. Capturing the essence of Australia through her evocative poetry, it was mostly inspired by her experience on her brothers' farms near Gunnedah, in the north-west of New South Wales.

As a woman of independent means, she wrote and published poetry and other works between 1908 and 1926 with her first poem published entitled ‘My Country’. Mackellar was active in the Sydney literary scene of the 1930’s, being involved with the Sydney Publishers, Editors and Novelists Club, the Bush Book Club of New South Wales and the Sydney PEN Centre. By the age of 70, she ceased writing owing to poor health and lived the last years of her life in a nursing home in Randwick, a suburb in Sydney where she died in 1968, aged 82. Her memorial service was held in Darling Point, and was buried in Waverley Cemetery, also in Sydney. Mackellar’s name remains a literary icon and her works reflect a profound connection to the landscapes and contrasts of her ‘opal-hearted country’. 

The twelve-sided aluminium-bronze fifty cent coins included in the collection feature three of her most famous poems, My Country, first published in 1908, The Colours of Light, also published in 1908 and Dawn, published in 1911. Each reverse side is designed by Royal Australian Mint artist Adam Ball. The obverse side of each coin features the effigy of HM King Charles III designed by Daniel Thorne. The legend surrounding the portrait reads CHARLES III AUSTRALIA 2025.

Coin 1 - Inspired by Dawn, the first coin captures the tranquil beauty of the road to Gunnedah, a place Mackellar held dear. As the soft light of sunrise spreads across the landscape, a delicate spider web glistens. The intricate design invites collectors to pause and marvel at the transformative power of dawn, as Mackellar did in her life and writing.

Coin 2 - The second coin brings to life Mackellar’s most iconic poem My Country, a love letter to the land she described as “a wilful, lavish land” of both beauty and extremes. The design is a sweeping portrait of Australia’s diverse landscapes – sunlit beaches, green forests, fertile farmlands and rugged plains; it pays homage to the country’s dramatic contrasts.

Coin 3 - The final coin, inspired by The Colours of Light, is a vivid tribute to Mackellar’s lyrical mastery of colour and movement while celebrating the unique qualities of Australian sunrises and sunsets. Featuring a dazzling peacock, radiant flowers, and lush plants, this design reflects her poetic celebration of nature’s vibrancy. Mackellar has been described as a ‘lyricist of light’ and this design embodies her ability to paint the Australian landscape with words.   

Available from the 13^th March, the BU quality coins are presented individually or as a three-coin collection. Each coin is encapsulated and displayed in a colourfully illustrated presentation card and all three are housed in a themed folder. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Australian Mint.