Sub-Collection: Tasmanian postmarks with a mining or mineral connection.
This 1d Mount Wellington Pictorial, cancelled Bridgewater / 12 April 1909, is part of Tasmania’s celebrated Pictorial series of 1899–1912 — a landmark group of engraved scenic definitives that replaced portrait issues and helped define early Australian philately. Although the cancellation is heavy, the date and locality remain legible, making it a strong postal‑history specimen.
Stamp Details
Country: Tasmania (pre‑Federation issue)
Series: Pictorials (1899–1912)
Denomination: 1d
Subject: Mount Wellington
Colour: Red
Year of Issue: 1899
The 1d Mount Wellington was one of the most widely used values in the Pictorial series, covering basic letter‑rate postage. Multiple printings over more than a decade produced subtle shade variations; this example is a typical mid‑period red.
The cancellation reads BRIDGEWATER / AP 12 / 1909, a period when the office was officially known as Bridgewater Junction, though Circular Date Stamps (CDS) devices continued to show simply “Bridgewater.”
Bridgewater’s postal history is unusually complex:
- Bridgewater PO: 1840–1874
- Bridgewater North: 1874–1895
- Bridgewater Junction: 1895–present
Despite the official name changes, the CDS remained “Bridgewater,” making this strike historically consistent.
Bridgewater
Bridgewater is best known for its basalt quarry, where fractures and cavities host a range of carbonate minerals. Although not a major mining centre, the locality is geologically significant within the Hobart region, with basalt flows and associated mineralisation providing material of interest to collectors.
