This is what the new 50c coin will look like
The Royal Australian Mint has released a new fifty cent coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Australian transcontinental passenger rail service, the Indian Pacific, which stretches from Sydney to Perth.
The new 50 cent coin is real legal tender and depicts the iconic train amid a distinctly Australian backdrop, and is emblazoned with the text ‘INDIAN PACIFIC 1970 – 2020’.
There’s only 30,000 of these coins in existence – and so the coins are going for $15 a pop.
To mark the launch of the new coins, the Royal Mint will also unveil a competition to win yourself and someone else tickets on the Indian Pacific journey, with details soon to be released on the Royal Australian Mint’s Facebook page.
However, you’ll need to buy one of the coins to be eligible to enter the competition.
The first Indian Pacific service departed Sydney five decades ago on 23 February 1970 and became the first train to cross the Australian continent.
The 4,352km railway service is named for the two oceans the train reaches along its journey from Sydney to Perth, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way, the rail service passes Broken Hill, Adelaide and Kalgoorie and takes four days in total.
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Peter Egglestone, the chief commercial officer of Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions, which owns the Indian Pacific, noted how far the transcontinental railway line had come since it was established about five decades ago.
“The inaugural journey nearly 50 years ago was a significant achievement, which has now developed into the all-inclusive guest experience today with regionally-inspired food and wine, world-class service and Off Train Excursions,” he said.
The Royal Australian Mint CEO Ross MacDiarmid said the launch of the new coin will resonate with train lovers and coin collectors.
Yahoo Finance has contacted the Royal Australian Mint for details about the competition.
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