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Australia 150 Years of Steam

2004 Proof Five Dollar

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This Five Dollar Sterling Silver proof coin was issued by the Royal Australian Mint in commemoration of 150 years of steam railways. The reverse shows a steam train powering along the tracks with a map of Australia behind it and was designed by Vladimir Gottwald. It contains the legend "150 YEARS OF STEAM RAILWAYS IN AUSTRALIA 1854 - 2004". The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, right-facing with tiara and earrings. It also has the legend "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2004 5 DOLLARS".

The coin comes in a presentation box with a black velvet lining and the insignia of the Australian Government and the inscription Royal Australian Mint. There is also a certificate of authenticity along with a booklet detailing the 150 year history of Australian Steam Railway. It had a mintage of just 15,000.

The first steam train journey in Australia was made from Flinders Street to Port Melbourne in 1854 as part of the convict railway. During the first ten years of railway development, the Victorian Government invested $9 million and constructed a mere 409 kilometres (Victoria Museum, 2013) . Over the next six decades it grew rapidly with almost 3,000 kilometres of track and proudly stating that every Victorian town with a population of over 500 had its own railway station. By 1900, the Victorian Railways' fleet consisted of 528 steam locomotives, 1,150 carriages and 10,000 goods vans and wagons. The age of the steam train was in full swing. It was carrying 55 million passengers and 3.4 million tons of freight each year.

Railways were now carrying everyone from farmers to city commuters. The infrastructure allowed massive growth for Australia and it continued to boom through two World Wars. But after the second war, patronage had declined and some services ceased which slowly put the railways into a decline. Even with the advent of the locomotive, the steam railways today are used as a tourist novelty. Much was made of the 150th anniversary of that first journey and Australia celebrated it in style.