End of an era: Norfolk Island has issued its final postage stamp

By Denise McCarty

On July 1, Norfolk Island became a regional council of the Australian state of New South Wales, and thus ceased having its own postal service and postage stamps.

Australian stamps are now valid on the island, and Australia Post will issue separate stamps with a “Norfolk Island, Australia” inscription, similar to its stamps for the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Norfolk is located in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,050 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia.

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The first two “Norfolk Island, Australia” stamps from Australia Post are scheduled for release in September and will depict the red-tailed tropicbird and the masked booby.

The first stamps from Norfolk Island were issued in 1947 (Scott 1-12), and the last one on June 7. This single $5 stamp in a souvenir sheet commemorates the 160th anniversary of the landing of the Pitcairners on Norfolk. 

The Pitcairners, many of whom were descendents of the HMS Bounty mutineers, relocated to Norfolk Island on June 8, 1856, because of overcrowding on Pitcairn.

A view of Norfolk Island is shown on the new stamp and in the selvage of the souvenir sheet.

Also pictured in the selvage is the ledger book discovered in a store house on Norfolk by one of the Pitcairners, John Buffett, who used it as a diary.

Tim Murphy designed the souvenir sheet, and Southern Colour Print produced it in a quantity of 4,500, according to the bulletin from the Norfolk Island Philatelic Bureau.

In this bulletin, the philatelic bureau also said that standing-order accounts will be closed and any outstanding balances will be refunded by Sept. 30. 

For more info you can check out the websites for the Norfolk Island Philatelic Bureau, and Australia Post.