79-658: The Thorn Birds is a 1977 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough . Set primarily on Drogheda—a fictional sheep station in the Australian Outback named after Drogheda , Ireland —the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans 1915 to 1969. The novel is the best-selling book in Australian history, and has sold over 33 million copies worldwide. The novel was also adapted into an eponymous television miniseries ; during its 27–30 March 1983 run, it became
158-572: A foreign exchange reserve . Section 51(xii) of the Constitution of Australia gives the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament the power to legislate with respect to "currency, coinage, and legal tender". The states are not allowed to coin money, in accordance with section 115 which provides that "[a] State shall not coin money, nor make anything but gold and silver coin a legal tender in payment of debts". Australian coins are now produced at
237-441: A Decimal Currency Board would be established to oversee the transition process. A public consultation process was held in which over 1,000 names were suggested for the new currency. This was reduced to a shortlist of seven names: austral, crown, dollar, pound, regal, tasman and royal. In June 1963, Holt announced that the new currency would be called the "royal". This met with widespread public disapproval, and three months later it
316-488: A beautiful boy whom she names Dane. Fee, who has had experience in such matters, notices Dane's resemblance to Ralph as soon as he is born. The relationship between Meggie and Fee takes a turn for the better. Justine grows into an independent, keenly intelligent girl who loves her brother dearly; however, she has little use for anyone else and calmly rebuffs Meggie's overtures of motherly affection. None of Meggie's other surviving brothers ever marry, and Drogheda gradually becomes
395-571: A brief honeymoon, Luke, a skinflint who regards women as sex objects and prefers the company of men, finds Meggie a live-in job with a kindly couple, the Muellers, and leaves to join a gang of itinerant sugarcane cutters in North Queensland. Before he leaves, he appropriates all Meggie's savings and arranges to have her wages paid directly to him. He tells her he is saving money to buy a homestead; however, he quickly becomes obsessed with
474-715: A fractious baby, so the Muellers send Meggie to an isolated island resort for a rest. Father Ralph returns to Australia, learns of Meggie's whereabouts from Anne Mueller, and joins her for several days. There, at last, the lovers consummate their passion, and Ralph realises that despite his ambition to be the perfect priest, his desire for Meggie makes him a man like other men. He returns to the church, and Meggie, now pregnant with Ralph's child, decides to separate from Luke. She sleeps one last time with Luke to ensure that her child's paternity will not be questioned, then tells Luke what she really thinks of him and returns to Drogheda, leaving him to his cane-cutting. Back home, she gives birth to
553-450: A home on Drogheda as long as any of them lives. At Mary's 75th birthday party, Ralph goes to great lengths to avoid Meggie, now 17 and dressed in a beautiful rose-pink evening gown. Later, he explains to Meggie that others might not see his attention as innocent. Mary dies later that night, and Ralph learns of the new will. He sees at once the subtle genius of Mary's plan, and although he weeps and calls her "a disgusting old spider", he takes
632-409: A place filled with old people. Ralph visits Drogheda after a long absence, and meets Dane for the first time; although he finds himself strangely drawn to the boy, he fails to recognise that they are father and son. The long-imprisoned Frank is also finally paroled at this time, thanks to Ralph's intercession, and returns to Drogheda a broken man. Dane grows up and decides, to Meggie's dismay, to become
711-507: A plan to separate Ralph from Meggie by tempting him with a high place in the church hierarchy. Although her will of record leaves the bulk of her estate to Paddy, she quietly writes a new one, making the Roman Catholic Church the main beneficiary and Ralph the executor . In the new will, the true magnitude of Mary's wealth is finally revealed. Drogheda is not the centre of her fortune as Ralph and Paddy have long believed, but
790-643: A priest, is vacationing in Greece. While there, he goes swimming one day and drowns while attempting to rescue two women from a dangerous current. Meggie reveals before Dane's funeral that Dane is Ralph's son. Ralph dies in Meggie's arms after the funeral. Justine breaks off all communications with Rainer and falls into a depressed, hum-drum existence. Eventually, they renew their acquaintance on strictly platonic terms, until Rainer visits Drogheda alone to urge Meggie to help him pursue Justine's hand in marriage. Justine, now
869-533: A priest. Fee tells Meggie that what she stole from God she must now give back. Justine, meanwhile, decides to become an actress and leaves Australia to seek her career in England. Ralph, now a cardinal , becomes a mentor to Dane, but is still blind to the fact that the young man is his own son. Dane is also unaware of their true relationship. Ralph takes great care of him, and because of their resemblance, people mistake them for uncle and nephew. Ralph and Dane encourage
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#1732791688672948-538: A rate of A$ 1 = 8s sterling (or £1 stg = A$ 2.50, and in turn £1 stg = US$ 2.80). In 1967, Australia effectively left the sterling area when the pound sterling was devalued against the US dollar from US$ 2.80 to US$ 2.40, but the Australian dollar chose to retain its peg to the US dollar at A$ 1 = US$ 1.12 (hence appreciating in value versus sterling). The Australian dollar is legal tender in its external territories: Christmas Island , Cocos (Keeling) Islands , and Norfolk Island ; and
1027-481: A strong interest in the new technology. On 27 September 2012, the Reserve Bank of Australia stated that it had ordered work on a project to upgrade the current banknotes. The upgraded banknotes would incorporate a number of new future proof security features and include tactile features like Braille dots for ease of use of the visually impaired. All persons featured on the first polymer series were retained on
1106-445: A suitable partner. The Clearys learn that Frank has been convicted of murder after killing someone in a fight. Frank spends three decades in prison. More tragedy follows: Paddy dies in a lightning fire, and son Stu is killed by a wild boar shortly after finding his father's body. Meanwhile, Ralph, unaware of Paddy and Stu's deaths, is on his way back to Drogheda after hearing of the fire. He suffers minor injuries when his plane bogs in
1185-524: A view about the stability in value of the British pound. From 1946 to 1971, Australia maintained a peg under the Bretton Woods system , a fixed exchange rate system that pegged the U.S. dollar to gold, but the Australian dollar was effectively pegged to sterling until 1967 at £1 sterling = A£1 5s = A$ 2.50 = US$ 2.80. In 1967 Australia did not follow the pound sterling devaluation and remained fixed to
1264-478: A wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Note Printing Australia prints polymer notes or simply supplies the polymer substrate for a growing number of other countries including Bangladesh , Brunei , Chile , Kuwait , Malaysia , Mexico , Nepal , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Romania , Samoa , Singapore , Solomon Islands , Sri Lanka and Vietnam . Many other countries are showing
1343-468: A widow who lives in New South Wales, Australia, on Drogheda, an enormous sheep station. One day, Paddy receives an offer from Mary of a job on her estate, so in 1921, the whole Cleary family moves from New Zealand to Australia. In Drogheda, the family meets Ralph de Bricassart, a young, capable, and ambitious priest. As punishment for insulting a bishop, he has been relegated to a remote parish in
1422-697: Is a reserve currency and one of the most traded currencies in the world. Other factors in its popularity include a relative lack of central bank intervention, and general stability of the Australian economy and government. In January 2011 at the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland , Alexey Ulyukaev announced that the Central Bank of Russia would begin keeping Australian dollar reserves. Australian notes are legal tender throughout Australia by virtue of section 36(1) of
1501-696: Is also official currency in Kiribati , Nauru , and Tuvalu . It was legal tender in Papua New Guinea until 31 December 1975 when it was replaced by the kina , and in Solomon Islands until 1977 when it was replaced by the Solomon Islands dollar . In 1966, coins were introduced in denominations of 1 and 2 cents (bronze); 5, 10, and 20 cents ( cupronickel ; 75% copper, 25% nickel); and 50 cents (silver, then cupronickel). The 50-cent coins in 80% silver were no longer minted after March 1968 due to
1580-530: Is merely a hobby, a diversion from her true financial interests. Mary's wealth is derived from a vast multinational financial empire worth over 13 million pounds (about A$ 200 million in modern terms). The sheer size of Mary's bequest will guarantee Ralph's rapid rise in the church. She also makes sure that after she dies, only Ralph, at first, will know of the new will – forcing him to choose between Meggie and his own ambition. She also provides for her disinherited brother, promising all his grandchildren and him
1659-467: The Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floated the dollar, with the exchange rate reflecting the balance of payments as well as supply and demand on international money markets. The decision was made on 8 December 1983 and announced on 9 December 1983. In the two decades that followed, its highest value relative to the US dollar
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#17327916886721738-564: The European goldfinch with the title "Thornbird", recounting that a goldfinch plucked a thorn out of Christ's crown of thorns and blood splashed onto its feathers. The bird is said to feature in several paintings of children destined for the church. The Thorn Birds played a recurring role as a joke element in the TV show Late Night with Seth Meyers . During the COVID-19 pandemic , as he taped
1817-533: The Reserve Bank Act 1959 without an amount limit. Section 16 of the Currency Act 1965 similarly provides that Australian coins intended for general circulation are also legal tender, but only for the following amounts: However, being legal tender does not necessarily oblige businesses to accept cash. The Reserve Bank states that businesses can set commercial terms for a transaction that requires
1896-600: The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra . Before Federation in 1901, the six colonies that comprised Australia had separate currencies, all of which closely replicated the British currency system , and were usually exchangeable with each other on a one-to-one basis. Hence Federation was not seen as urgently requiring a single, unified currency. For another 10 years, colonial banknotes and coins continued to be
1975-585: The South African pound with the rand (worth 10 shillings or 1 ⁄ 2 pound). The Menzies government announced its support for decimalisation in July 1961, but delayed the process in order to give further consideration to the implementation process. In April 1963, Holt announced that a decimal currency was scheduled to be introduced in February 1966, with a base unit equal to 10 shillings, and that
2054-539: The Synoptic Gospels and chapter 9 of the Gospel of Thomas . In the front matter of the book, the myth is set out: There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon
2133-466: The U.S. dollar at A$ 1 = US$ 1.12. With the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system in 1971, Australia converted the traditional peg to a fluctuating rate against the US dollar. In September 1974, Australia valued the dollar against a basket of currencies called the trade weighted index (TWI) in an effort to reduce the fluctuations associated with its tie to the US dollar. The daily TWI valuation
2212-578: The " Big Jubilee Read " list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, selected to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The story begins in New Zealand on 8 December 1915, the fourth birthday of Meghann "Meggie" Cleary, who is the only daughter of Padraic ("Paddy"), an Irish farm labourer, and Fiona ("Fee"), his wife. Meggie is a beautiful child with curly red-gold hair, but receives little coddling and must struggle to hold her own in
2291-451: The Australian dollar varies significantly during the business cycle, rallying during global booms as Australia exports raw materials, and falling during recessions as mineral prices slump or when domestic spending overshadows the export earnings outlook. This movement is in the opposite direction to other reserve currencies, which tend to be stronger during market slumps as traders move value from falling stocks into cash. The Australian dollar
2370-449: The Australian dollar were issued in 1966. The $ 1, $ 2, $ 10 and $ 20 notes had exact equivalents in the former pound notes. The $ 5 note was issued in 1967, the $ 50 was issued in 1973 and the $ 100 was issued in 1984. The $ 1 banknote was replaced by a $ 1 coin in 1984, while the $ 2 banknote was replaced by a smaller $ 2 coin in 1988. Although no longer printed, all previous notes of the Australian dollar remain legal tender. Shortly after
2449-478: The Australian pound into 1000 parts ". This recommendation was not accepted either. In February 1959, treasurer Harold Holt appointed a Decimal Currency Committee, chaired by Walter D. Scott , to examine the merits of decimalisation. The committee reported in August 1960 in favour of decimalisation and proposed that a new currency be introduced (from February 1963), to be modelled on South Africa's replacement of
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2528-608: The Boring Bits . Before her tertiary education, McCullough earned a living as a teacher, librarian and journalist. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to neuroscience and worked at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. In 1963, McCullough moved for four years to
2607-574: The Carmine Delmonico series. Australian dollar The Australian dollar ( sign : $ ; code : AUD ; also abbreviated A$ or sometimes AU$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies ; and also referred to as the dollar or Aussie dollar ) is the official currency and legal tender of Australia , including all of its external territories , and three independent sovereign Pacific Island states : Kiribati , Nauru , and Tuvalu . In April 2022 , it
2686-724: The Emily Bay cemetery on the island. In 1978, McCullough received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . In 1984, a portrait of McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the Archibald Prize . The prize is awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics". The depth of historical research for
2765-504: The UK pound, it was divided into 240 pence, or 20 shillings (each comprising 12 pence). In December 1931, the Australian currency was devalued by 25%, so that one pound five shillings Australian was equivalent to one pound sterling. In 1937, a banking royal commission , appointed by the Lyons government , recommended that Australia adopt "a system of decimal coinage ... based upon the division of
2844-866: The United Kingdom; at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London she met the chairman of the neurology department at Yale University who offered her a research associate job at Yale. She spent 10 years (April 1967 to 1976) researching and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut , United States. While at Yale she wrote her first two books. One of these, The Thorn Birds , became an international bestseller and one of
2923-469: The United States' second-highest rated miniseries of all time, behind Roots . Subsequently, a 1996 miniseries entitled The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years filled in a gap of 19 years in the middle of the novel. It was criticised for inconsistencies with the original series. The novel was also adapted into a musical in 2009, The Thorn Birds Musical . In 2022, The Thorn Birds was included on
3002-497: The age of 77, in the Norfolk Island Hospital, Burnt Pine , from apparent renal failure after suffering from a series of small strokes. She had suffered from failing eyesight due to haemorrhagic macular degeneration , and also suffered from osteoporosis , trigeminal neuralgia , diabetes and uterine cancer , and used a wheelchair full-time. She was buried in a traditional Norfolk Island funeral ceremony at
3081-505: The amount. On the introduction of the currency, the $ symbol was intended to have two strokes, but the version with one stroke has also always been acceptable. In 2023 , there were A$ 4.4 billion in coins and A$ 101.3 billion in notes of Australian currency in circulation , or around A$ 6,700 per person in Australia, which includes cash reserves held by the banking system and cash in circulation in other countries or held as
3160-543: The argument with Paddy, Frank runs away to become a prizefighter. Fee gives birth to twin boys, James and Patrick (Jims and Patsy), but shows little interest in them. Shortly afterward, Meggie's beloved little brother, Hal, dies. With Frank gone and Hal dead, Meggie clings to Ralph de Bricassart, who has been her constant mentor and friend. As she grows into womanhood, some begin to question their close relationship, including Ralph and Meggie themselves. Mary Carson, motivated by jealousy mingled with Machiavellian cruelty, devises
3239-405: The best selling books in history, with sales of over 30 million copies worldwide, that in 1983 inspired one of the most-watched television miniseries of all time. Following The Thorn Birds , McCullough wrote her magnum opus: seven novels on the life and times of Julius Caesar , each a colossus weighing in at up to 1,000 pages. The Masters of Rome series preoccupied her for almost 30 years, from
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3318-691: The changeover, substantial counterfeiting of $ 10 notes was detected. This provided an impetus for the Reserve Bank of Australia to develop new note technologies jointly with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation , culminating in the introduction of the first polymer banknote in 1988. Australia was the first country to produce polymer banknotes , more specifically made of polypropylene polymer, which were produced by Note Printing Australia . These revolutionary polymer notes are cleaner than paper notes, are more durable and easily recyclable. The first polymer banknote
3397-465: The circulating two dollar, one dollar, and 20 cent coins. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of decimal currency , the 2006 mint proof and uncirculated sets included one- and two-cent coins. In early 2013, Australia's first triangular coin was introduced to mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of Parliament House. The silver $ 5 coin is 99.9% silver, and depicts Parliament House as viewed from one of its courtyards. The first paper issues of
3476-477: The competitive toil of cutting cane and has no real intention of giving it up. Hoping to change Luke's ambition and settle him down, Meggie deliberately thwarts his usual contraception and bears Luke a red-haired daughter, Justine. The new baby, however, makes little impression on Luke. Father Ralph visits Meggie during her difficult labour. He has come to say goodbye, as he is leaving Australia for Rome. He sees Meggie's unhappiness and pities her. Justine proves to be
3555-571: The early 1980s to the publication of the final volume in 2007. The research was a monumental task: a library of several thousand books and monographs on every aspect of Roman history and civilisation accumulated on the shelves of her home. She drew maps of cities and battlefields, scoured the world’s museums for busts and inscriptions, consulted experts in a dozen universities and recorded every known fact about her subject and his times. The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try to "live on [her] own terms." In
3634-583: The east coast of the Australian continent, followed in 1977 by a coin for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee , the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 1982, and the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. Issues expanded into greater numbers in the 1990s and the 21st century, responding to collector demand. Commemorative designs have also been featured on
3713-452: The end of China's large-scale purchases of Australian commodities in 2013, however, the Australian dollar's value versus the US dollar has since plunged to $ 0.88 as of end-2013, and to as low as $ 0.57 in March 2020. As of 2024, it has traded at a range of $ 0.63 to $ 0.68. In 2016, the Australian dollar was the fifth most traded currency in world foreign exchange markets , accounting for 6.9% of
3792-418: The family, which includes five older brothers at the time. Her favourite brother is the eldest, Frank, a rebellious young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith 's trade. He is much shorter than his other brothers, but very strong. Unlike the other Clearys, he has black hair and eyes, believed to be inherited from his Maori great-great-grandmother. Paddy has a wealthy sister, Mary Carson,
3871-636: The first time since becoming a freely traded currency, trading above US$ 1 for a few seconds. The currency then traded above parity for a sustained period of several days in November, and fluctuated around that mark into 2011. On 27 July 2011, the dollar hit a record high since floating, at $ 1.1080 against the US dollar. Some commentators speculated that its high value that year was related to Europe's sovereign debt crisis , and Australia's strong ties with material importers in Asia and in particular China . Since
3950-483: The former Australian, New Zealand, and British sixpence, shilling, and two shilling (florin) coins. Pre-decimal Australian coins remain legal tender for 10 cents per shilling. Before 2006 the old New Zealand 5, 10 and 20 cent coins were often mistaken for Australian coins of the same value, and vice versa, and therefore circulated in both countries. The UK replaced these coins with smaller versions from 1990 to 1993, as did New Zealand in 2006. Still, some confusion occurs with
4029-505: The intrinsic value of the silver content rising to exceed the face value of the coins. Aluminium bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminium, 2% nickel) 1 dollar coins were introduced in 1984, followed by aluminium bronze 2 dollar coins in 1988, to replace the banknotes of that value. In everyday Australian parlance, these coins collectively are referred to as "gold coins". 1 and 2 cent coins were discontinued in 1991 and withdrawn from circulation in 1992; since then cash transactions have been rounded to
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#17327916886724108-594: The larger-denomination coins in the two countries; Australia's $ 1 coin is similar in size to New Zealand's $ 2 coin, and the New Zealand $ 1 coin is similar in size to Australia's $ 2 coin. With a mass of 15.55 grams (0.549 oz) and a diameter of 31.51 millimetres ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 in), the Australian 50-cent coin is one of the largest coins used in the world today. The Royal Australian Mint also has an international reputation for producing quality numismatic coins. It has first issued commemorative 50-cent coins in 1970, commemorating James Cook 's exploration along
4187-723: The late 1970s, after stints in London and Connecticut, she settled on the isolation of Norfolk Island , off the coast of mainland Australia, where she met her husband, Ric Robinson. They married in April 1984. Under his birth name Cedric Newton Ion-Robinson, he was a member of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly . He changed his name formally to Ric Newton Ion Robinson in 2002. McCullough's 2008 novel, The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet engendered controversy with her reworking of characters from Jane Austen 's Pride and Prejudice . Susannah Fullerton ,
4266-564: The longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain.... Or so says the legend. No sources have been found for this myth prior to the appearance of the book, although since then, it has been described in various nonscholarly sources as "an old Celtic legend". A different myth associates
4345-484: The main circulating currencies. In 1902, a select committee of the House of Representatives , chaired by George Edwards , had recommended that Australia adopt a single, national decimal currency, with a pound divided into ten florins and each florin comprising 100 cents. However, the recommendation was not acted upon. The Australian pound (A£) was introduced in 1910, at par with the pound sterling (A£1 = UK£1). Like
4424-458: The many pregnancies Paddy has caused her to endure. Fee, now in her 40s, reveals she is again pregnant; the two men quarrel violently, and Paddy tells Frank he is not his biological son. Fee, the daughter of a prominent New Zealand citizen, is revealed to have had an affair with a married politician. The result, Frank, was already 18 months old when Fee married Paddy. Because he resembles her lost love, Frank has always been Fee's favourite child. After
4503-566: The mud. As Meggie tends his wounds, their passion is reignited, but again Ralph rebuffs Meggie, and he remains at Drogheda only long enough to conduct the funerals. Three years later, a sheep shearer named Luke O'Neill begins to court Meggie. Although his motives are more mercenary than romantic, she marries him because he looks a little bit like Ralph, and also because Luke is not Catholic and she wants little to do with religion – her own way of getting back at Ralph. She soon realises her mistake. After
4582-456: The nearest 5 cents . Australia's coins are produced by the Royal Australian Mint , which is located in the nation's capital, Canberra . Since opening in 1965, the Mint has produced more than 14 billion circulating coins, and has the capacity to produce more than two million coins per day, or more than 600 million coins per year. Current Australian 5, 10 and 20 cent coins are identical in size to
4661-417: The new will to her lawyer without delay. The lawyer, scandalised, urges Ralph to destroy the will, but to no avail. The bequest of 13 million pounds works its expected magic and Ralph soon leaves for Sydney to begin his rapid advance in the church. Before he leaves, Meggie confesses her love for him and they share a passionate kiss, but Ralph pulls away because of his duties as a priest, and begs Meggie to find
4740-471: The novels on ancient Rome led to her being awarded a Doctor of Letters degree by Macquarie University in 1993. McCullough was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia on 12 June 2006, "[f]or service to the arts as an author and to the community through roles supporting national and international educational programs, medico-scientific disciplines and charitable organisations and causes". Following
4819-553: The president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" while reading the novel, as she felt that Elizabeth Bennet was rewritten as weak, and Mr. Darcy as savage. Fullerton said: "[Elizabeth] is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … [and] Darcy's generosity of spirit and nobility of character make her fall in love with him – why should those essential traits in both of them change in 20 years?" McCullough died on 29 January 2015, at
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#17327916886724898-572: The prevailing view that the Australian dollar offers diversification benefits in a portfolio containing the major world currencies, especially because of its greater exposure to Asian economies and the commodities cycle. Economists posit that commodity prices are the dominant driver of the Australian dollar, and this means changes in exchange rates of the Australian dollar occur in ways opposite to many other currencies. For decades, Australia's balance of trade has depended primarily upon commodity exports such as minerals and agricultural products. This means
4977-544: The publication of The Ladies of Missalonghi in 1987, McCullough was accused of having plagiarised The Blue Castle , a 1926 novel by L.M. Montgomery . McCullough responded that any similarities were due to subconscious recollection . In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in November 2004 to promote Angel Puss , McCullough said the men of Pitcairn Island that were convicted of sexual encounters with children should have been allowed to follow their "custom" and have sex with young girls. "The Poms have cracked
5056-431: The rumour. Justine and her brother remain close, although he is often shocked at her sexual adventures and free-wheeling lifestyle. She befriends Rainer Hartheim, a German politician who is a great friend of both Dane and Ralph's, and who falls deeply in love with her. Their friendship becomes the most important thing in her life and is on the verge of becoming something more when tragedy strikes. Dane, who has just become
5135-447: The second polymer series. However, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the government has announced that the $ 5 note will be replaced with a design reflecting Indigenous history and culture. Prior to 1983, Australia maintained a fixed exchange rate . The Australian pound was initially at par from 1910 with the British pound or A£1 = UK£1; from 1931 it was devalued to A£1 = 16s sterling. This reflected its historical ties as well as
5214-488: The show from his home, the book appeared on a side table. On different camera cuts, the book will appear again with adjusted titles, sometimes many at a time. Former NFL offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson is named after The Thorn Birds character Father Ralph de Bricassart. Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough AO ( / m ə ˈ k ʌ l ə / ; married name Robinson , previously Ion-Robinson ; 1 June 1937 – 29 January 2015)
5293-509: The sole surviving grandchild of Fee and Paddy Cleary, finally accepts her true feelings for Rainer, and they marry. The book's title refers to the mythical "thornbird" that searches for thorn trees from the day it is hatched. When it finds the perfect thorn tree, it impales itself on a thorn and sings the most beautiful song ever heard as it dies. The myth alludes to the Parable of the Sower in
5372-643: The town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Ralph has befriended Mary Carson, hoping a hefty bequest from her to the Catholic Church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is "a beautiful man", and Mary goes to great lengths to tempt him to break his vows. Ralph shrugs off her attentions and ploys, and continues his visits. He cares for all of the Clearys and particularly cherishes forlorn little Meggie. Frank's relationship with his father, Paddy, has never been peaceful. The two vie for Fee's attention. Frank resents
5451-440: The use of a non-cash payment. However, a business may technically be required to accept cash if they are taken to court, but this is usually not a viable option for consumers. Australian notes and coins are also legal tender in the independent sovereign states of Kiribati , Nauru , and Tuvalu . Nauru never had its own currency. Tuvalu and Kiribati additionally had their respective Tuvaluan and Kiribati dollars at par with
5530-419: The whip and it's an absolute disgrace. These are indigenous customs and should not be touched. These were the first people to inhabit Pitcairn Island, and they are racially unique." she said. "It's hypocritical, too. Does anybody object when Muslims follow their customs?" The comments generated stories at the time, and were mentioned in her obituaries. McCullough also published five murder mysteries in
5609-534: The world's daily share (down from 8.6% in 2013) behind the United States dollar , the euro , the Japanese yen and the pound sterling . The Australian dollar is popular with currency traders, because of the comparatively high interest rates in Australia, the relative freedom of the foreign exchange market from government intervention, the general stability of Australia's economy and political system, and
5688-520: Was $ 0.881 in December 1988. The lowest ever value of the dollar after it was floated was 47.75 US cents in April 2001. It returned to above 96 US cents in June 2008, and reached 98.49 later that year. Although the value of the dollar fell significantly from this high towards the end of 2008, it gradually recovered in 2009 to 94 US cents. On 15 October 2010, the dollar reached parity with the US dollar for
5767-593: Was also "a voracious reader". Her family eventually settled in Sydney where she attended Holy Cross College, Woollahra , having a strong interest in both science and the humanities. She had a younger brother, Carl, who drowned off the coast of Crete when he was 25 while trying to rescue tourists in difficulty. She based a character in The Thorn Birds on him, and also wrote about him in Life Without
5846-536: Was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and The Ladies of Missalonghi . McCullough was born in 1937 in Wellington , in the Central West region of New South Wales , to James and Laurie McCullough. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother was a New Zealander of part- Māori descent. During her childhood, the family moved around a great deal and she
5925-421: Was announced that it would instead be named the "dollar". The pound was replaced by the dollar on 14 February 1966 with the conversion rate of A$ 2 = A£1. For example, a pre-decimal amount of nine pounds, sixteen shillings and sixpence (£9 16s 6d) became $ 19.65 in terms of dollars and cents. Since Australia was still part of the fixed-exchange sterling area , the exchange rate was fixed to the pound sterling at
6004-595: Was changed in November 1976 to a periodically adjusted valuation. The highest valuation of the Australian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar was during the period of the peg to the U.S. dollar. On 9 September 1973, the peg was adjusted to US$ 1.4875, the fluctuation limits being changed to US$ 1.485–US$ 1.490; on both 7 December 1973 and 10 December 1973, the noon buying rate in New York City for cable transfers payable in foreign currencies reached its highest point of 1.4885 U.S. dollars to one dollar. In December 1983,
6083-520: Was issued in 1988 as a $ 10 note commemorating the bicentenary of European settlement in Australia. The note depicted on one side a young male Aboriginal person in body paint, with other elements of Aboriginal culture. On the reverse side was the ship Supply from the First Fleet, with a background of Sydney Cove, as well as a group of people to illustrate the diverse backgrounds from which Australia has evolved over 200 years. The first polymer series
6162-451: Was rolled out starting 1992 and featured the following persons: A special centenary issue of the $ 5 note in 2001 featured Sir Henry Parkes and Catherine Helen Spence . In 2015–2016 there were petitions to feature Fred Hollows on the upgraded $ 5 note, but failed to push through when the new note was introduced on 1 September 2016. Australia also prints polymer banknotes for a number of other countries through Note Printing Australia ,
6241-411: Was the sixth most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market and as of Q4 2023 the seventh most-held reserve currency in global reserves . The Australian dollar was introduced as a decimal currency on 14 February 1966 to replace the non-decimal Australian pound , with the conversion rate of two dollars to the pound (A£1 = A$ 2). It is subdivided into 100 cents . The $ symbol precedes
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