Behind the Stamp

Australia- home to dogs and spiders that murder you, and bears that fall out of the sky. That's one part of it. The next part of it is where the people live - the southeast! Home to cities like Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra, people ACTUALLY LIVE HERE (or at least more than 5). There's this one highway that goes from Sydney all the way to Adelaide - the Prince's Highway. Built in 1920, it's an almost 2000 kilometer long route that goes from Sydney thru Wollongong, Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, and ending at Port Augusta, SA. Stamp Description The stamps feature the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, and Mount Gambier, featuring a vintage style poster for each. Under that, the city name and the caption "Princes Highway 1920-2020" with the value on the bottom. In the Mount Gambier stamp, it shows two people sitting on a hill overlooking the Blue and Valley Lakes; in the Geelong one, it depicts Waterfront Park, looking out towards the harbor; f...

The Indian Pacific - a railroad to trump all others. It crosses the whole of Australia, going all the way from Sydney to Perth. 70-75 hours of a barren landscape in what is basically first class. The stamp shows an Indian Pacific train in front of a sunset/sunrise, and under the words "Transcontinental Railway: 50 Years" and it's face value, AUD 1.10. The railroad was completed on February 8, 1970, meaning this year it celebrates its 50th anniversary. It was released on February 11, 2020. In 2010, Australia Post also released an Indian Pacific stamp, this time showing the whole train in the outback, in front of some mountains. That stamp was worth 55 Australian cents. This stamp was released on May 7, 2010 The Ghan is a railway that goes from Adelaide all the way to Darwin in the north. This stamp is part of the same set, showing a very pretty view of a train in the outback. This and the last stamp were released in May 7, 2010. It's worth 55 Australian cents...

Urban Transit was the theme chosen for a 2004 stamp set. It features metro and light rail systems from Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. It was released on April 30, 2004, in Toronto, ON. It was designed by Debbie Adams, a renowned stamp designer for Canada Post. Toronto Subway Toronto's subway system consists of four lines going all across the city. It currently has 75 stations, with 39 more in construction. It was opened in 1954, meaning it's the oldest subway in Canada. It's run jointly by the Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Toronto. Vancouver Skytrain Vancouver's Skytrain is a light rail system covering 54 stations across 3 lines. It's the longest rail transit system in the whole of Canada. It was opened for the 1986 World Expo, in which the theme was transportation. It's run by Translink and BC Rapid Transit. Surprisingly it's the newest one on this list. The Montreal Metro is the second oldest metro in Canada, and the ...

In 2013, the London Underground turned 150 years old! Royal Mail swooped in and created stamps to commemorate this huge milestone in London transport. They show specific scenes from throughout the Tube's history, from 1863, with the opening of the Metropolitan Line all the way to 1999, with the opening of Canary Wharf on the Jubilee. In order, the events are: 1863: The Metropolitan Line opens           Stamp shows a steam train approaching Paddington. 1898: Tunneling under London streets           Stamp shows construction workers working a boring machine under a street. 1911: Commute to the suburbs           Stamp shows Edwardian folk commuting in and out of Central London. 1934: Art Deco on the Piccadilly           Stamp shows Boston Manor station, constructed along with many others in the 20s and 30s in the art deco style. 1938: Classic Rolling Stock       ...

Four priority mail stamps were or are going to be released in the years of 2019/2020:  Joshua Tree - Released January 27, 2019. Depicts a Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) against a stack of boulders. Costs $7.35/stamp. Bethesda Fountain - Released January 27, 2019. Depicts the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park (NYC). Bethesda Fountain is one of the most famous structures and monuments in Central Park. Costs $25.50/stamp. Big Bend - expected release on January 18, 2020. Shows the Rio Grande runnning in a canyon. Costs $7.75/stamp. Grand Island Ice Caves - expected release on January 18, 2020. Shows the ice caves on Grand Island, near Munising, MI. Costs $26.35/stamp.

In 2018, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system celebrated its 50th birthday, as it was founded in 1968. USPS made a sheetlet commemorating the NWSR's 50th birthday. They released a sheet of 12 stamps depicting different WSRs. In the background is the Merced River of California. It shows (on row 1) the Merced River, the Owyhee River, the Koyakuk River, (on row 2) the Niobrara River, Snake River, the Flathead River, (on row 3) the Missouri River, Skagit River, the Deschutes River, (on row 4) the Tlikakila River,   Ontonagon River, and the Clarion River. It's still commonly confused with the National Parks and Monuments, etc. The sheetlet was released on May 21, 2019 in Bend, Oregon.

Formally called the "Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area" this metropolitan mega-city consists of 9 districts in Guangdong province and the two special administrative regions, Macau and Hong Kong. It depicts landmarks in all the districts (Zhaoqing, Foshan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Macau, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hong Kong, and Huizhou). It was released on September 26, 2019. The landmarks are, respectively, the Seven Star Crags of Zhaoqing, the Century Lotus sports center of Foshan, Zhongshan First Bridge, Kaiping Diaolou of Jiangmen, the Ruins of St. Paul’s of Macao, Zhuhai Opera House, Canton Tower of Guangzhou, Shenzhen Civic Center, Dongguan Central Square, Golden Bauhinia Sculpture in Hong Kong, and Daya Bay Petrochemical Industrial Park of Huizhou.