This brilliant uncirculated coin is a product of the world famous Perth Mint. The coin weighs 1oz and is .9999 pure. It has a limited mintage of just 25,000. The obverse features the image of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse features a brumby, the iconic wild horse of Australia.
Being married to an Aussie I have a special love for Perth Mint coins. They often feature the nation’s most beautiful creatures. Each coin reminds me of family and memories of my favorite Australian places.
Horses first came to Australia with the arrival of European settlers. Over the years, they escaped domestication and began forming large wild herds in the Australian bush. These brumbies, as they came to be known, are particularly prevalent in Australia’s snowy alpine region which includes Kosciuszko National Park.
A 1982 movie titled The Man from Snowy River, based off the A.B. Banjo Patterson poem of the same name, introduced the Australian brumby to the rest of the world. The film stared Kirk Douglas in what is essentially “an Australian western set in the 1880’s”.
The Man From Snowy River is the story of young Jim Craig who was born and raised in the mountains. After an accident that kills his father that also leads to Jim’s horse escaping to run free with a pack of wild horses, Jim must leave the family homestead to seek work and respect in the lowlands. Source
The image of the wild brumby is so iconic, as is the music from the film, that both were featured in the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.
Despite the horse’s cultural significance, it is still considered an invasive species. This is particularly evident in the high country where herds have damaged water catchments and native flora. As result, ongoing culls are common in the Australian Capital Territory and the state of Victoria.
However, the state of New South Wales passed a bill banning lethal culls. Since the bill’s passage brumby numbers have increased exponentially. This has further exacerbated the damage caused to the Australian landscape, pitting lovers of brumbies against environmental ministers in years long legal battles.
Adding to the tenuous future of the brumby, this year’s bushfires appear to have decimated thousands. Supporters of the brumbies claim that the government’s population estimates of the herds are overblown and fought unsuccessfully to stop this year’s culls. In lieu of a stay on the culls, several land owners in the area have offered to capture brumbies to allow them free roam of their private land. It is a difficult situation all around, with the wild horses stuck right in the middle.
If you are on Facebook, there are several brumby groups. This is one of my favorites. It is run by Cooma, NSW based photographers who deeply love the horses and know them well. They have the most beautiful pictures you should definitely see.
