Kings Park Festival is celebrated by Australia Post
Monday, 29 August 2011
Kings Park Festival is celebrated by Australia Post, with its recently released Floral Festivals Australia stamp issue.
The five 60c stamps feature colourful photographic depictions of popular flower species − the gerbera, jacaranda, Australian everlasting, violet and tulip - representing five floral festivals.
"Western Australia has several thousand native plant species, and the Kings Park Festival provides a perfect opportunity to showcase the state's many beautiful wildflowers. This floral festival is located in a spectacular setting overlooking Perth and is represented on the stamp by the Australian everlasting," said Australia Post's Philatelic Manager, Mr Michael Zsolt.
"We anticipate that the beautiful designs in this stamp issue will appeal to a great number of people and we expect to see many 'flowers' travelling through the post now that these stamps are available," said Mr Zsolt.
In the 1960s, Perth held its first wildflower festival in Kings Park. In 2007, this popular event became known as Kings Park Festival. The month-long event attracts more than 500,000 people to the floral displays, exhibitions and interpretive artworks, and to hear live music and to participate in workshops, guided walks and family activities. This year's theme is Trees for Life supporting the UN International Year of Forests. Kings Park Festival 2011 runs from 1 September to 2 October.
The flowers featured in the stamp issue represent festivals in urban and regional areas across the country. These festivals draw attention and participation nationally and internationally and are important to the culture and economy of their communities.
Floral Festivals Australia includes the gerbera, representing the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show; the jacaranda for the Grafton Jacaranda Festival; the Australian everlasting for Perth's Kings Park Festival; the violet for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers; and the tulip for Canberra's Floriade.
Adam Crapp of the Australia Post Design Studio designed the stamp issue. Adam's previous stamp designs include Australian Antarctic Territory: Macquarie Island (2010).
The stamp issue products for Floral Festivals Australia are a stamp pack, set of five maxicards, prestige booklet, aerogramme, self-adhesive booklet of 20 x 60c stamps, self-adhesive roll of stamps and international postage-paid envelopes. The stamp issue is available from participating Australia Post retail outlets, via mail order on 1800 331 794 or online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last.
