The currency of our country is the Australian dollar, which is made up of 100 cents. Like all things Australian, the country’s money has some fascinating facts surrounding it:
- Decimal currency was first introduced in 1966.
- Bank notes come in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5 dollars.
- In 1996, Australia became the first country in the world to produce a complete series of polymer (a type of plastic) bank notes.
- Polymer bank notes last four times as long as paper notes, stay cleaner for longer, are much more difficult to counterfeit, and can be recycled easily.
- The images on the bank notes show famous Australians, both present and past.
- Coins are available in 50, 20, 10, and 5 cent as well as $1 and $2 denominations.
- Since opening in 1965, the Royal Australian Mint has produced more than 14 billion coins.
- Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia is portrayed on the obverse side of all Australian coins.
- The reverse side of the $2 coin features a picture of an Aboriginal elder.
- All the other Australian coins depict animals which are unique to the continent such as kangaroos ($1), a platypus (20c), and an echidna or spiny anteater (5c).
