Postal History, Published 28 June 2026

Queensland’s First Postage Stamps (1860): Tiny paper, huge history!

Before Queensland had motorways, telephones, or even a fully developed rail network, it had something far more essential for staying connected: its very first postage stamps.

Issued on 1 November 1860, just a year after Queensland separated from New South Wales, these stamps marked the birth of a brand-new colonial identity - one letter at a time.

All three featured the elegant Queen Victoria “Chalon Head” portrait, a classic Victorian design showing the young queen in regal attire. But each stamp had its own job in the growing colony:

1d (Penny Red) The everyday workhorse of early Queensland mail. Used for local letters, newspapers, and small parcels across Brisbane and nearby settlements. If you were writing to someone across town, this was your stamp.

2d (Blue Twopence) The most commonly used domestic letter rate. This stamp carried everyday correspondence across longer distances - think Brisbane to Ipswich or out to early regional settlements. It was the backbone of communication in a growing colony.

6d (Green Sixpence) The heavy-duty stamp of the set. Used for bulkier letters, official government documents, and overseas mail heading through complex British postal routes. If it was important, it probably had one of these on it.

Fun fact: These stamps were engraved in London, printed by Perkins Bacon & Co., and shipped all the way back to Queensland. So while they symbolised a new colony, they were still very much part of the global British postal machine.

Another quirky detail - these early stamps were imperforate, meaning they didn’t have tearable edges. People literally had to cut them out with scissors before sticking them on envelopes.

From Brisbane post offices to riverboats on the Brisbane River, these tiny pieces of paper helped a young colony stay connected to the world - and to itself.

Today, they’re prized collectibles, but back in 1860, they were just everyday tools helping Queensland speak across distance.

Small stamp. Big story. Massive Queensland milestone.

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