14 January 2020
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Royal Australian Mint has issued a new coloured 50 cent coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Indian Pacific train.
This follows on from the release of a coin commemorating 90 years of Australia's Ghan passenger train service last year.
The Indian Pacific train
On 23 February 1970, the first Indian Pacific service left Sydney, becoming the first direct train to cross the Australian continent. This service was made possible when the east-west standard gauge project was completed several months earlier, allowing a single journey from the east to west Australia and back.
The Indian Pacific, named for the two oceans that the train reaches on its journey, travels from Sydney across the Nullarbor to Perth, taking in Broken Hill, Adelaide and Kalgoorlie. The entire journey of 4,352 km takes four days. The journey includes the longest straight stretch of railway track in the world: a 478 km stretch across the Nullarbor.
Coin details
Royal Australian Mint CEO, Ross MacDiarmid, said: 'The Royal Australian Mint is delighted to share this unique limited edition coin that celebrates another of Australia’s world famous railway journeys, a story which will resonate with the Australian public, train lovers, coin collectors and fans of the iconic Indian Pacific itself.'
Denomination: 50 cents
Diameter: 31.51mm
Mass: 15.55g
Mintage: 30,000
To order the coin, visit the Royal Australian Mint's website.
QUICK LINK: Coins to look forward to in 2020
