When the Olympic Games came to Melbourne

30 September 2006 - 10 February 2007
Curated by Richard Breckon

The 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games was the largest event ever staged in Australia up to that time. The Games are remembered warmly by Australians old enough to have experienced the occasion, which coincided with the introduction of television. The Postmaster- General's Department played a major role providing postal and telecommunications facilities at various Olympic venues in Melbourne and Ballarat. Collectors enjoyed the novelty of buying the first full-colour stamps issued by Australia for the Olympic Games, as well as seeking impressions of the 52 Olympic pictorial postmarks used at the temporary post offices established for the Games.