PLACES

This fairly unique destination cover to a long-time troublesome area, now in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region,  is related to a series of conflicts starting with the Anglo-Afghan wars during the imperialist Great Game between the United Kingdom and Russia which led to the dismemberment of Afghanistan.

The front which was not seen is a real photo, b/w postcard of ‘The Blow Hole, near Flinders’.   The reverse shows it is an Australian card made by The Standard Post Card Co. sent from Janowe Street, Sebastopol to Bombardier H. Wells, 62nd Bty (Battery), N.F.A., Nowshera., N. West Frontier, India.  The brown-red on yellow paper 1½d stamp of Victoria is cancelled with a duplex BALLARAT/ AM/ 9 (N)O/ (--)-6-09 with a barred numeral ‘5'.  There is a fine reception postmark of NOWSHERA/ 7.-A,M./ 22 JL O9.  The legible portion of the message reads: Mr. Wells, I shall be pleased to exchange P.Cards with you, instead of Miss Hay.  Miss Sadie [illegible].  In addition there is a partial transit postmark of (TU)TICORIN/ 16 JY/ 09/ --.20 PM (Figure 1).

ADELAIDE to KINSHASA via LONDON, LISBON, BANANA & BOMA, CONGO

This is one of the most extravagant advertising covers I have written about, and it is also the third cover to the Congo I have recorded. I seem to have a fascination for this chaotic region which has had so much strife in its pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. The Australian Stamp Company, Adelaide, South Australia has resisted my many research attempts, but there is enough advertising matter to obtain an idea of its purpose: "Collections and stamps of all kinds, Bought, Sold, or Exchanged. Large Consignments of old Australians purchased for Cash...... Approval Sheets forwarded to Collectors upon Application..... 1,000,000 – COMMON PENNY AND TWOPENNY AUSTRLIAN STAMPS WANTED –1,000,000". A strip of five brown bantam Halfpenny South Australian stamps are cancelled with 2 duplex G.P.O. ADELAIDE/ 2/ JY 7/ 96/ S.A postmarks, and the cover is addressed to The Postmaster, Kinshassa (sic), Congo Free State, Africa. There is a faint blue transit postmark of BANANA (Congo) on the front (Figure 1).

AREQUIPA, PERU: A TALE OF A GOLDMINE, COCA LEAVES & COCA COLA

It is just over two years since I first saw a cover addressed to a doctor in Arequipa Peru, and it has taken me all this time to find enough, albeit very limited, information about the addressee. I had been attracted to the name Arequipa, since my success in buying a modest number of shares of Arequipa Resources, a goldmine in Peru, prior to its takeover by the giant Canadian Barrick Gold.

AUBURN N.S.W. LETTER to DR. ROLANDO GUIDOTTI, SIDI MESRI, LYBIA

This letter was sent in March 1951 from Auburn N.S.W. to Dr. Rolando Guidotti, Sidi Mesri Experimental Farm, Tripoli L'Africa, Lybia, North Africa by Air Mail. It was franked with 3 stamps, the small 6d Kookaburra, the 9d platypus and the 3d KGVI head stamp, a total of 1 shilling 6 pence. There is a reception postmark in arabic on the front (Figure 1).

BALLARAT, VICTORIA MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE

I have been fascinated during my researches into colonial covers, particularly of Victoria, when the term Mechanics’ Institute crops up, but this is a first where it actually appeared on a postal item. The item is a newspaper wrapper which has a pink ‘Half Penny Stamp Duty’ printed stamp of Victoria postmarked by an unframed duplex ORBOST/ ( )/ 94/ VICTORIA with the barred numeral ‘1203'. It is simply addressed to the Mechanics’ Institute, Ballarat (Figure 1)

BRISBANE WINDMILL OBSERVATORY & Q’LAND STAMP ILLUSTRATIONS

The pictorial postcard has the green ½d QV and the orange QV ‘Four Corners’ 1d stamps of Queensland, canceled by an indistinct postmark in the late 1890s-early 1900s and it is addressed to a person living in Denver, Colorado U.S.A. (Figure 1).

BURRINJUCK DAM, MAJOR DAM for the MURRUMBIDGEE IRRIGATION AREA

This meteorological return O.H.M.S. stampless entire was addressed to The Commonwealth Meteorologist in Melbourne and it has the circular Type 2A cancel BURRINJUCK/ 30 NO 26/ N.S.W which was in use from 1913-64.   The only other postmark was the Type 3E(i) from 1967-79, when the post office was closed.   There is a purple handstamp for BURRINJUCK DAM/ 30 NOV 1926 (Figure 1)

CANNING  PARK  TURF  CLUB  CO.  LIMITD,  PERTH,  WESTERN  AUSTRALIA

The cover has 2 copies of the red ‘ONE PENNY and a single copy of the grey ‘HALF PENNY’ Swan stamps of Western Australia canceled with SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 10/ MR 9/ 09 duplex. It is addressed to Messrs Wharton & McCrae, Stock Exchange, London E.C. In the top L.H. corner there is a blue double oval hand-stamp of the sender, CANNING PARK TURF CLUB/ CO. LIMITD/ PERTH, W.A. (Figure 1).

CAPTAINS FLAT N.S.W. to CARTAGO, COSTA RICA

An ordinary first day cover can tell quite a story with humble beginnings in rural N.S.W. and exotic endings in Central America. The cover celebrates Baron Sir Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-1896) born in Germany of Danish origin and died in Melbourne. The cover has 2 copies of the red 2½d von Mueller stamp postmarked CAPTAIN'S FLAT/ 13 SP 48/ N.S.W and it is addressed to Mr. James Wood, Box 124, Cartago, Costa Rica, Central America (Figure 1).

CARRINGTON HOTEL, KATOOMBA, N.S.W. & F.C. GOYDER

The cover has a printed advertisement for THE CARRINGTON, F.C. GOYDER, KATOOMBA and it is addressed to F.S. Dore Esqr., Post Office, Queenscliff, Victoria. The blue 2d ‘Emu’ stamp of N.S.W. is cancelled with an illegible barred numeral (Figure 1).

CHARLES DIBBIN, BOY, ROYAL MILITARY ASYLUM, CHELSEA, nr. LONDON

The cover was sent to, Charles Dibbin, Boy, No 1 Company, Royal Military Asylum, Chelsea, Nr. London, Per Simla and had a dull orange-brown imperforate ‘SIX PENCE’ wood block stamp, cancelled by a BN ‘1' of Melbourne.   An additional marking was a red PAID/ DD/ 3 AU 3/ 1857, presumably applied in London.  Not seen, was an originating postmark of Melbourne May 28, 1857, on the reverse (Figure 1).

COLONIA NUEVA AUSTRALIA in PARAGUAY

Two items of considerable interest were found on Australian stamp auction sites. The first was a rare cover with faint markings dated 5-SET 1930/ PARAGUAY of the first internal flight from Ascunsion to Colonia Nueva (New) Australia (as an arrival cds) franked with 2 Republic of Paraguay stamps (Scott 288, 291), total postage of P2.50 (Peso), and the stamps were postmarked in a diamond with 'ENSAYO/ SEVICIO/ AEREO/ INTERNO'. It was addressed to Norman Stocky/ JEFE CORREOS/ COLONIA NUEVA AUSTRALIA (Figure 1).

DAWSON CITY, YUKON, CANADA: TWO POSTCARDS from CONSUL to CONSUL

Two pictorial postcards from Australian States were addressed to the American Vice Consul in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada.. The first was mailed from Melbourne in February 1906 with the blue 2½d Victoria stamp and was addressed Hon. J. Carlton Woodward, American Vice & Deputy Consul, Dawson City, Y.T. (Yukon Territory), Canada. On its reverse it showed a black & white General View of Collins Street, Melbourne, with a short message: "Feby 9, 1906/ With compliments of John P. Bray, American Consul General, Melbourne, Australia" (Figures 1 & 2).

DIRECTOR, PHILADELPHIA COMMERCIAL MUSEUM LETTER from SYDNEY

The cover was sent Per “Sierra” and it had the blue 2½d New South Wales stamp postmarked with 2 examples of the SYDNEY/ 11AU06-7.–P.M/ 41 cancel (Figure 1).

EDWARD TWYNAM, N.S.W. SURVEYOR-GENERAL & RIVERSDALE, GOULBURN

The cover is addressed to E. Twynam Esq., Goulburn, New South Wales and the blue SIXPENCE ‘Laureate’ stamp of Victoria is postmarked with the duplex MELBOURNE/ 8 Y/ JY 16/ 69 (Figure 1).

EVERETT A. COLSON, ADVISOR to EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE, ETHIOPIA

The cover had a blue registration label for SYDNEY—C/ N.S.W. and the stamps consisted of an orange ½d, a green 1d and a red-brown KGV Head stamps, as well as the green 3d airmail stamp. They were postmarked by a REGISTERED/ B 14 MR 33/ SYDNEY N.S.W. The cover was addressed to E.A. Colson Esq, Box 215, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Abyssinia) (Figure 1).

FDR & HIS PANAMA HAT, MADE in ECUADOR

A very ordinary cover can be a source of an unusual story about a famous man who wore a special hat at an important WWII conference. The cover bearing a green 1d KGV head stamp cancelled by a partial VISIT/ SUNNY/ AUSTRALIA and a boxed SYDNEY/ N.S.W./ 6 PM/14 NOV/ 1935/ POSTED/ OVERSEAS BOX is addressed to Mr. C.A, Arcentales, P.O. Box T., GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR, S.A. (Figure 1).

FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL, COLLINS ST. WEST, MELBOURNE to BATTLE CREEK

The cover had a red-brown ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY STAMP DUTY’ on yellow paper stamp of Victoria cancelled with a duplex BALLARAT/ 2 T/ NO 11/ 98 with the barred numeral ‘5' as obliterator. It was addressed to T.R. Hayes, Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A. There was a ms. ‘per Sydney & Alameda to Frisco’ (Figure 1).

FISH STEAM LAUNDRY in the SERVICE of the UNITED STATES ARMY, WWII

The registered letter has a blue registered label for Fortitude Valley, N.1, Queensland which is partially obscuring the firm’s name (Fish Ste)am Laundry Pty. Ltd., Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service, Hats Cleaned and Blocked, and there is a picture of the premises. It was addressed to The Commander-in-Chief, General Headquarters, United States Armed Forces Pacific, A.P.O. 500. The pair of the blue 5½d ‘Peace’ stamps are cancelled FORTITUDE VALLEY/ ( ) MY 46/ QLD AUST, and there is a return address of 733 Ann Street, Brisbane (Figure 1).

ILLUSTRATED ENVELOPE to DURBAN, NATAL SOUTH AFRICA

At first glance one might think that this was sent as a First Day cover for the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of New South Wales 3d blue stamp (part of a set of 3, the others being the 2d red and 9d purple). The stamp shows Captain Phillip at Sydney Cove 1788 and the stamp is inscribed with two years, 1788 and 1938, in the top left and right hand corners, respectively. The set was issued on 01 OCT 1937, whereas the stamp is postmarked 21 FE 38, and the event is celebrated yearly as Australia Day on the 26 January. All this produces a degree of date confusion, but the cover is certainly not a F.D.C. (Figure 1).

J. H. STILSON Jnr., BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, PANAMA

The cover is addressed to Mr. J.H. Stilson Jnr, 1405 D Carr St., Balboa Heights, Canal Zone, Panama, America, and the green 3d ‘Roo on Map of Australia’ stamp is cancelled with a roller cancel of BRISBANE/ 12 DE 17 7-PM/ BRISBANE. It is assumed that the red ink manuscripts were added by the addressee (Figure 1).

JAMES LESLIE PROVAN, PRINCIPAL, DOOKIE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, VIC.

This unpretentious cover had a roller cancel of a boxed MELBOURNE/ 3.15 AM/ 1 MAR/ 1949/ VICTORIA with the obliterating slogan CHECK ADDRESS/ IF INCOMPLETE/ ADVISE WRITER which cancelled the red 2.5d KGVI stamp.  It was addressed to Mr. L. Provan, Principal, Dookie Agricultural College, Dookie, Victoria.  The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

JOHN De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL, PERTH W.A. to KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

The cover has the blue ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY SWAN’ stamp of Western Australia cancelled with a SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 1/ SP 17/ 98/ PERTH W.A and there is a fine printed ‘Belt and Buckle’ corner advert for De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL/ PERTH, W.A. It was addressed in blue crayon to J. R. Hayes, Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A.  The reverse was not seen (Figures 1 &2).

JOSHUA BRAY J.P., POST MASTER, POLICE MAGISTRATE, & FARMER

The cover is addressed to Joshua Bray Esq. J.P., Kynnumboon, Tweed River, via Casino (New South Wales). The blue ‘TWO PENCE’ QV stamp of N.S.W. is cancelled with the rays ‘21' of Campbelltown, as well as an unframed CAMPBELLTOWN/ MY 25/ 1871/ N.S.W, alongside. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

KATSINA, NORTHERN NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA

This airmail cover registered at Windsor N.S.W., is postmarked WINDSOR/26 NO 62/ N.S.W. and is addressed to J.A. Regan, Esq, P.O.B.26, Katsina, Northern Nigeria, West Africa. It has a copy of the blue 2/- Flannel Flowers stamp and the 2/3 British Empire & Commonwealth Games, Perth 1962 stamp, the latter being issued 1 Nov 1962. The combined postage of 4/3 is for the ½ ounce airmail letter rate to Africa (2/3) plus the registration rate of 2/- (Figure 1).

MAJOR R.E. SMITH, SECRETARY, CRADLE MOUNTAIN RESERVE BOARD & GUSTAV WEINDORFER

The On His Majesty’s Service cover has a printed WWW 2 Government advertisement "Lend to Defend Buy War Savings Certificates" and it is addressed to Major R.E. Smith, Secretary, Cradle Mountain Reserve Board, 17 Trevallyn Crescent, Launceston. The sender is identified as the Lands and Surveys Department, Hobart. The red 2½d KGVI stamp, which has a ‘T’ perfin, is cancelled with a roller cancel and a boxed HOBART/ 8-PM/ 2 19 MCH 2/ 1945/ TAS AUST. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

MARONITES CHURCH, REDFERN: REV. YAZBECK’S LETTERS to AMCHIT

The addressee of the cover is Rev. A. Yazbeck, St. Maroun’s Church, Elizabeth Street, Redfern, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia and the 3d green ‘Roo on Map of Australia’ stamp has a roller cancel REDFERN/ 11 A.M.– SP 28/ 1920. It is addressed to Mrs Fares Walla Caram, Amchit via Beyrouth, Djubell, Mont Liban, Syria, and the address is also recorded in Arabic script. The reverse was seen and there was an ALEXANDRIA, (Egypt) transit but the arrival postmark was illegible (Figure 1).

MELBOURNE to BANNINGVILLE, BELGIAN CONGO

Australian covers to the former Belgian Congo are not common. The present cover provides information concerning the routing within the Belgian Congo in the year 1937. A registered cover from Melbourne identifies the sender on the reverse as W.I. Urquhart, 125 Domain Road, Melbourne S.E.1. It is addressed to M(onsieur) Fernand Trokay with the simple address of Banningville, Belgian Congo, Africa.

MELBOURNE to THE COMMERCIAL MUSEUM, FOREIGN TRADE BUREAU, PHILADELPHIA

The censored cover has the ‘Opened by Censor’ label with 3 dots as well as a purple boxed PASSED BY/ CENSOR/ V 97 and the blue 3d KGVI stamp is postmarked with a roller cancel ‘EAT APPLES/ FOR HEALTH’ with a MELBOURNE/ 1³⁰ PM/ 11 APR/1940/ VIC AUST. It was addressed to The Connercial Museum, Foreign Trade Bureau, 34th Street below Spruce, Philadelphia. The sender’s name was partially obscured by the censor’s label but the firm is identified by Mackinder, Elizabeth House, Melbourne C. 1. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1) .

MELBOURNE, PER S.S. MOANA to WALLA WALLA, 1902 [USA]

Australians may have heard of the small New South Wales town of Walla Walla which is 26 km south-west of Culcairn, at least double that distance north of the border towns of Albury, N.S.W.-Wodonga, Victoria, and 554 km south-west of Sydney. But the fact that this letter set sail on the S.S. Moana should alert them to the fact that this Walla Walla was elsewhere. The first Europeans to pass through the area in N.S.W. were the explorers Hume and Hovell in 1824, but it was not until 1834 that the first squatters moved in.

MELBOURNE-LA SERENA via MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY & VALPARAISO, CHILE

The routing of this Victorian postcard has long given me concerns, and I still am not sure why it went via Uruguay to La Serena, Chile. The postcard is unique, for Victoria was the only Colony to accord postal commemoration of the new Commonwealth when a series of postcards was issued on the ‘eve’ of Federation. The design of the series featured a heading with the letters “AC” (Australian Commonwealth) above the coat of arms. The series comprised five postcards, each in a different colour, blue-green, grey-green, blue, lilac-brown and orange, and was issued between 20 and 22 December 1900 [Australian Federation was 1 January 1901]. It is believed that about 250,000 post cards were issued (Geoff Kellow 1990). On 9 February1904, an additional ½d had to be added for destinations outside Australia.

MOLONGLO SETTLEMENT

My interest in Molonglo Settlement was piqued a year ago, when I won an auction lot of 300 NSW postmarks on KGV Heads, which contained 3 copies of this postmark, all dated 1924, and all on the red 1½^d KGV Head (ASC 66). I considered this a rather unusual frequency for a relatively uncommon postmark, but the lack of significant information on the internet re the Settlement, made me put the stamps away (Figure 1).

MOREE BORE BATHS, NORTH-EAST NEW SOUTH WALES, ARTESIAN SPA

The illustrated cover shows a photo of the Moree Bore Baths and is addressed to The Town Clerk, Council Chambers, Tamworth. The red 1½d KGV head stamp is postmarked MOREE/ 1. 15 P 15 JL 26/ N.S.W. [Type 2 C (T) of Hopson & Tobin (Figure 1).

MOURNING COVER to JAMES HARRISON, SQUATTERS EXCHANGE, SYDNEY

This mourning cover was of a fairly common design for use in colonial Australia, being small in size (12 x 6.5 cms) and the design of the black border on the front and the black cross on the reverse. It was addressed to James Harrison Esq, Squatters Exchange, George Street, Sydney, and the red-brown 3d QV sideface stamp of Tasmania has been canceled by a HOBART TOWN/ 2 L/ FE 2/ 72 duplex TASMANIA postmark. There was a manuscript: pr. "City of Hobart"notation (Figure 1).

PETTY'S HOTEL: A SYDNEY SITE with a LONG PROVENANCE

This registered cover shows the full set of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester stamps which were issued on 19 Feb 1945. It was postmarked G.P.O. SYDNEY/ R.C.S./ 5-P 20 FE 45/ 1/ N.S.W. AUST. There is no registration label, but the blue crossed lines front and reverse clearly show it was registered.. The cover is addressed to Lt: T.B. Harrop./ R.N.V.R./ R.N.O.Q. (Petty's Hotel)/ York Street. Sydney./ N.S.W. Australia (Fig. 1).

QUONG TART’s TEA ROOM, QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING, SYDNEY & HIS TRIP to CHINA

When Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in New South Wales in 1810 he found the colony’s main landing place disturbed by the produce. Livestock and poultry of the daily water front market at King’s Wharf. He ordered the market to be moved to a more convenient location in a paddock bordered by George Street to the east, York Street to the west and the colon’s first cemetery on the south. A 2-storey building was built on the site in 1820, designated as a market, and its Druitt Street end had administrative offices. The building was originally known as the Queen Victoria Markets, and a larger building replace the former, and it was renamed the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in 1918. I had its official opening on July 21 1898. The ground floor contained 58 shops, one of which was designated as a tea room.

When Quong Tart & Co. Tea Merchants wrote the following letter on 23 Nov.1898 he had not moved in for he gave his address as 137 King Street, Sydney. The contents of the letter sent to The Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Sydney were as follows: Dear Sir,

To make my rooms at the Queen Victoria Markets complete and in all respects suitable for my purposes it seems necessary to provide a Cloak and Smoke Room. Room No. 12 is the most conveniently situated but the rent asked for it is too high. Will you therefore be good enough to consider what concession you can make in view of all the circumstances so that if possible I may add it to my present tenancy. Yours faithfully, Quong Tart (Figure 1).

RABAT, FRENCH MOROCCO from CABRAMATTA, N.S.W. REGISTERED LETTER

This cover has a fine vignette of the 150^th Anniversary, Sydney Souvenir Cover (1788-1938) with a map of Australia, a portrait of Captain Cook, an Aborigine, a kookaburra, a kangaroo, an emu, and a stylized central picture of the Settlement of Port Jackson in 1788. The cover was printed in Cabramatta (see lower right hand corner of vignette) and it has a registration label for Cabramatta, N.S.W. It has the blue 3d and red 2d KGVI as well as the green 1d Queen Elizabeth definitive stamps, which are postmarked CABRAMATTA/ 11 AP 39/ N.S.W. It is addressed to Monsieur Karoui, 22 Rue de Naples, Rabat (French Morocco). There is a manuscript ‘Voir au dos’ (See back), as well as a boxed RETOUR/ L’ ENVOYEUR (Return to sender) (Figure 1).

RANELAGH, DARLING POINT, SYDNEY, THE PLACE & ITS PEOPLE

This relatively insignificant cover with the 2d red KGV stamp is postmarked OUTER HARBOUR/ 1-P (--) (--)/ 22/ STH AUSTRALIA, and is addressed to C.N. Gale, “Ranelagh”, Darling Point Road, Sydney, New South Wales (Fig. 1).

REGISTERED COVER from ADELAIDE to MASONIC TEMPLE, MINNEAPOLIS, USA

This registered stampless O.H.M.S. cover has a squared circle REGISTERED ADELAIDE/ FE 9/ 03/ S.A postmark as well as a CORRESPONDENCE OFFICE/ FE 9/ 03/ G.P.O, partially obscuring an oval transit REGISTERED/ 14 (March) 1903/ LONDON. It was sent from the Post Office and Telegraph Department, Adelaide, S.A. and it had a large ‘R’ in an oval. There was an additional blue handstamp of ‘55719', and 2 other black handstamps, of which only ‘29553' was totally legible. The cover was addressed to E.S. Stebbins Esqr, 614 Masonic Temple, Minneapolis, Minn, U.S.A. (Figures 1 & 1A).

ROBERT BROUGH & DION BOUCICAULT, COMEDY COMPANY, SHANGHAI

This 1d red New South Wales postcard has an additional red 1d ‘Shield’ stamp added and it is cancelled with a duplex SYDNEY/ MY 3/ (–) PM/ 01/ 41 with the N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Allan Hamilton Esqr, The Brough Comedy Coy, Shanghai. It has a double circle SHANGHAI’ 1/ JU 1/ 01/LOCAL POST with an adjacent small single circle ‘34'. There is a manuscript Chinese script along the left border (Figure 1).

S.E.E. NAVAL YARD, H. K.: W.H. ORGAN, P.OW. JAPAN: LETTER from HIS WIFE

This PRISONER OF WAR POST, SERVICE DES PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE cover was addressed to W.H. Organ, S.E.E. Naval Yard, Civilian Internee, Hong Kong. It had the AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS insignia on it as well as C/O JAPANESE RED CROSS SOCIETY, TOKYO, JAPAN and a purple diamond ‘3/ PASSED/ BY / CENSOR/ 329' handstamp and a red hand stamp of an oblong with Japanese print. The date of 30/ 3/ 43 had been printed in pencil and the significance of the red crayon ‘S’ is unknown (Figure 1).

STRAWBERRY HILLS to TALLINN, EESTI (ESTONIA)

This somewhat dilapidated cover intrigued me, not only because of its origin and delivery site, but also because of the route it took from a Sydney suburb to the capital of the Baltic country, Estonia. The cover is registered with a torn blue Strawberry Hills, N.S.W. registration label and the total postage of 5d is made up of the 4d olive and 1d green KGV heads (both perf. 13½ x 12½, small multiple watermark). Both stamps are clearly postmarked STRAWBERRY HILLS/ 11 NO 31/ N.S.W., but the front has 3 additional and different in-transit postmarks: GLEBE/ 12 NO 31/ N.S.W., WILLIAM STREET/ 13 NO 31/ N.S.W as well as an arrival postmark of (TA)LLINN/ 12/ 12/ 31/ EESTI (Figure 1).

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN CONSULS in AUSTRALIA 1881-1914

I have found 3 examples of covers sent from the Austro-Hungarian Consuls in Melbourne and Sydney in the period 1881 until outbreak of WW I in 1914. The first was an 1881 cover with a duplex postmark of MELBOURNE/ 26S/ JY 21/ 91 with VICTORIA as the obliterator on the purple brown one shilling Victorian stamp duty. The cover was addressed to Wien (Vienna), Austria and in manuscript it was inscribed ‘per S.S. Arcadia’ via Brindisi (Figure 1).

THE MUTUAL STORE, MELBOURNE & W. TEMPLETON, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

The printed to private order cover was addressed to W. Templeton, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Mutual Store, Melbourne. The lilac ‘TWO PENCE’ stamp of Victoria was cancelled by a duplex postmark of MELBOURNE/ 1 K/ JL 16/ 85 with the barred obliterator VICTORIA. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

TIRRIKIBA N.S.W. to CERRO de PASCO COPPER CORP, PERU

This common registered First Day Cover has particular interest on account of the address as well as the fine documentation of its routing on the reverse. It has a blue Tirrikiba registration label plus the crossed red crayon marking, and the pairs of the 1d green Queen Elizabeth and 2d red KGVI stamps are faintly postmarked 10 MY 37. The address is given in detail as P.S.K. Hodgson, Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp, Casilla 2412, Lima Peru, S. America (Figure 1).

W.M. SOMERVILLE, LIBYA, WOOLLAHRA, LETTER from WEST NORW00D, U.K.

This paper is about a heritage building in Sydney, ‘Libya’, and I have to admit at the outset that my research has been unfruitful in finding the reason for the name. I did learn something about William and Alice Somerville, the Aborigines that occupied the land before the white men came, the parcel of land that was divided up in Woollahra, Sydney (Aboriginal word for ‘a lookout’), as well as the names of some pioneers of this area, and the names of early residents who occupied this Heritage home’.

WYANGALA DAM CONSTRUCTED on the LACHLAN RIVER,

The cover is addressed to John W. Stuart Esq, Wyangala Dam, via Woodstock and the carmine-red 1½d ‘Centenary of Western Australia’ Swan stamp is postmarked with a roller cancel NORTH SYDNEY/ 13 OCT/ 1929/ 9 30 PM/ N.S.W. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).