The Royal Mint, Canberra
July 25th 2011 06:03
Canberra is not just the seat of Australia’s Federal Government and the repository for its national treasures, it’s also the source of the stuff that makes the world (here in Australia anyway) go round!
The Royal Australian Mint, in the quiet Canberra suburb of Deakin, has been turning out Aussie dollars and cents, along with medals, medallions, tokens and seals since 1965.
I must confess, I expected the Mint to be rather tedious, with case after glass case of coin collections, endless conveyor belts charged with little pieces of metal and lengthy, technical explanations of the minting process. But, although it does have coin collections, conveyor belts and lectures, the Royal Mint is a truly amazing place.
It tells the history of Australia’s currency in a lively and interesting way; a DVD in the theatrette; displays of coins both ordinary and rare, including the famous 1930 penny, storyboards with fascinating little anecdotes of fraud and forgery and equally fascinating examples of counterfeit money. From elevated walkways with glass walls, you can watch the whole production process, from the engraving room to the final workshop where a tireless robot, called Titan, tips all the finished coins into bins ready for distribution.
Titan the robot at work
The Royal Australian Mint, in the quiet Canberra suburb of Deakin, has been turning out Aussie dollars and cents, along with medals, medallions, tokens and seals since 1965.
I must confess, I expected the Mint to be rather tedious, with case after glass case of coin collections, endless conveyor belts charged with little pieces of metal and lengthy, technical explanations of the minting process. But, although it does have coin collections, conveyor belts and lectures, the Royal Mint is a truly amazing place.
It tells the history of Australia’s currency in a lively and interesting way; a DVD in the theatrette; displays of coins both ordinary and rare, including the famous 1930 penny, storyboards with fascinating little anecdotes of fraud and forgery and equally fascinating examples of counterfeit money. From elevated walkways with glass walls, you can watch the whole production process, from the engraving room to the final workshop where a tireless robot, called Titan, tips all the finished coins into bins ready for distribution.
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