Australia Post is this month commemorating the 150th anniversary since the last convict transport ship docked in Australia, with the release of three new stamps.

Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said the stamp issue depicted three former penal colonies — New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and Swan River (Western Australia).

“We trust Australian history buffs and those with a convict family connection will find this stamp issue of great interest,” Mr Zsolt said.

From the first days of penal transportation to the Australian colonies, the forced labour of convicts formed part of a penal system that would help build thriving settlements.

The two domestic base-rate ($1) and one international rate ($3) stamps were designed by Tim Hancock of Melbourne-based design studio Backpack.

• The NSW Colony stamp (above) features the heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney – the first government-built convict barracks. Opened in 1819, it served as a principal depot for male convicts in NSW until 1848. The stamp design also shows the ticket of leave, dispensed for good behaviour, issued to William Anson in 1828 and a lithograph of a Sydney chain gang.
• The Van Diemen’s Land stamp (right) represents the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur – a penal settlement for men and operated from 1830 to 1877. The penitentiary is one of the site’s most recognisable buildings. The stamp design also features a graphic of a convict love token, which is believed to relate to John Camplin, a 15-year-old convicted of stealing a silver watch, who received the death penalty, which was later commuted to life imprisonment.
• The Swan River Colony stamp (below) depicts the end of the convict transportation era. The Hougoumont was the last convict ship to sail to Australia, carrying 279 prisoners to the Swan River Colony in 1868. The stamp shows the Convict Establishment, built in the early 1850s with convict labour, and later known as Fremantle Prison. The stamp design also shows a fragment of text from The Wild Goose, a newspaper written by the Irish political prisoners aboard the Hougoumont.

The products associated with this stamp issue are a first day cover, stamp pack, maxicard set of three, postal numismatic cover, sheetlet of five $3 self-adhesive stamps, booklet of 10 x $1 stamps and a roll of 100 x $1 self-adhesive stamps.

The Convict Past stamp issue is available from participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last.