2009 AURORA AUSTRALIS $5 SILVER PROOF COIN

Concluding its four-coin series celebrating the International Polar Year, the Royal Australian Mint has released the 2009 Aurora Australis $5 Silver Proof Coin. This unique coin incorporates design elements from the three previous coins in the series, as well as a hologram. The International Polar Year was a scientific program that ran from March 2007 to March 2009. It attempted to focus attention on the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Australia has always had a close relationship with the Antarctic continent. Many Australians were among those who went on expeditions to the Antarctic in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a time when little was known about the area. One such venture was led by Ernest Shackleton aboard the Nimrod. Despite failing to reach the south magnetic pole, the expedition marked the furthest anyone had gone up to that point. They were also the first to see the Beardmore Glacier and the South Polar Plateau and the first to climb Mount Erebus. His wife Emily later remarked that Shackleton’s response to not reaching the south pole was: « a live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn’t it? » Today, Australia continues to conduct studies in Antarctica based at the research stations Mawson, Davis and Casey. Obverse Design Ian Rank-Broadley’s current portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is shown on the obverse. Also included are the inscriptions « Elizabeth II », « Australia », « 2009 » and « 5 Dollars ». Reverse Design The reverse of this unique coin features Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Nimrod, in a hologram. The hologram is designed to portray the Aurora Australis and changes colour as the coin is moved. In front of the Nimrod are several penguins and aft of the ship members of the expedition are visible. Also seen is a projection of the Antarctic Continent, with Australia’s research bases marked.