5 Dollars 1992, Australia
| in Krause book | Number: 50a |
| Years of issue: | 07.07.1992 |
| Edition: | -- |
| Signatures: | Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia: Mr. Bernie W. Fraser (September 1989 – September 1996), Secretary to the Treasury: Mr. Anthony Stuart Cole (14 February 1991 - 23 March 1993) |
| Serie: | Polymer Serie |
| Specimen of: | 07.07.1992 |
| Material: | Polymer |
| Size (mm): | 130 x 65 |
| Printer: | Note Printing Australia, Craigieburn, Melbourne |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Variable Optical Security Device is in the bottom corner. The clear window [Optical Security Device] contains a stylised gum [eucalyptus] flower.
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs (including a distinct group with a multiple-stem mallee growth habit) in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia.
Australian coat of arms.
Avers:
HM The Queen Elizabeth II.
The engraving on banknote, probably, is based on a photograph from this session, made by John Lawrence in the middle of 1980-th.
This informal portrait of The Queen appears on the 5-dollar note issued in Australia from July 1992. Her Majesty is shown wearing a simple dress, a string of pearls (that had come to Queen Victoria from her Hanoverian inheritance) and Queen Alexandra’s Cluster Earrings. Also Her majesty wearing the Modern Ruby Brooch.
The Two Strand Hanoverian Pearls.
The Hanoverian pearls, which came to Britain with King George I and included pearls once owned by Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen Victoria left the pearls to the Crown in her will. Queen Alexandra wore the pearls at her coronation. The two strand necklace with diamond clasp may be part of those Hanoverian pearls, it is not often worn by the Queen. (From her Majesty's jewel vault)
The Modern Ruby Brooch.
Another of the brooches acquired by the Queen is this arched design. A modern design of gold with diamonds and diamond-topped sprays, it is accented with a row of rubies on one side. The generic shape of this one, and its light use of rubies (allowing it to be paired with red and pink outfits but with other colors as well) make it easy for the Queen to pair with outfits, and she's worn it for decades. (From her Majesty's jewel vault англ.)
She is also wearing Queen Alexandra’s Cluster Earrings. The wedding gift from the future King Edward VII to his bride, Alexandra of Denmark. Also known as Queen Alexandra's Cluster Earrings, these two button earrings have large pearls surrounded by diamonds - 10 larger stones each plus smaller filler stones to create a full diamond ring. Like the brooch, these passed to the Queen via Queen Mary. They're now worn primarily at evening functions. "From her Majesty's Jewel vault".
The portrait was commissioned by the Reserve Bank of Australia in 1984 and The Queen gave her approval for the use of this portrait on an Australian note in 1988.
On the left side is the branch of Eucalyptus haemastoma.
Eucalyptus haemastoma (scribbly gum) is an Australian eucalypt that is named after the "scribbles" on its bark. These zigzag tracks are tunnels made by the larvae of the scribbly gum moth (Ogmograptis scribula) and follow the insect's life cycle. Eggs are laid between layers of old and new bark. The larvae burrow into the new bark and, as the old bark falls away, the trails are revealed. The diameters of the tunnels increase as the larvae grow, and the ends of the tracks are where the larvae stopped to pupate.
Eucalyptus haemastoma is a small to medium sized tree. The bark is smooth, white/grey. Juvenile leaves are stalked, ovate or broadly curved and oblique to 22 x 8 cm., pendulous and blue-green. The adult leaves are stalked, broad lanceolate or curved to 15 x 3 cm., concolourous, glossy green. White flowers appear in late spring to early summer. Capsules are pear-shaped, to about 8 mm diameter, with usually 4 enclosed valves. Distribution is restricted to the coastal plains and hills in the Sydney Region.
On background is the old parliament building (please read reverse description).
Denomination in numeral is in top right corner. In words in lower left corner.
Revers:
The Old and New Parliament Houses, which were opened in 1927 and 1988, respectively. The images are the designer's interpretation of various architectural drawings and photographs.
Lower, centered is the old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House. That was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra, until a more permanent building could be constructed. In 1988, the Commonwealth Parliament transferred to the new Parliament House on Capital Hill. It also serves as a venue for temporary exhibitions, lectures and concerts.
Designed by John Smith Murdoch and a team of assistants from the Department of Works and Railways, the building was intended to be neither temporary nor permanent-only to be a "provisional" building that would serve as a parliament for fifty years. The design extended from the building to include its gardens, décor and furnishings. The building is in the Simplified or "Stripped" Classical Style, commonly used for Australian government buildings constructed in Canberra during the 1920s and 1930s. It does not include such classical architectural elements as columns, entablatures or pediments, but does have the orderliness and symmetry associated with neoclassical architecture. 
The 1938 edition of "Canberra A City of Flowers", The Official Tourist Guide to Australia’s National Capital, describes Parliament House in glowing terms:
"Spacious ministerial and party rooms, smoke rooms, club rooms, reading rooms, committee rooms, dining and billiard rooms, press rooms and officials’ rooms, members’ bar, lounges and housekeeper’ quarters are no less impressive than the immense kitchen, boasting every culinary equipment, and second to none in Australia.
Special suites, containing offices, dressing rooms, fitted with wall beds, lounges and bathrooms, are provided for the President of the Senate and the Speaker. The Prime Minister’s handsome suite adjoins the Cabinet room.
The Members main dining room seats 150, while there are several smaller refreshment rooms and lounges. At the rear of the House, the kitchen is surrounded by pantries and stores, and the offices of the Chief Steward. Elaborate electrical cooking and cleansing apparatus is installed, and speedy electric conveyors whisk the food to the dining rooms." (Parliament House)
Centered, above is the new Parliament house in Canberra.
In 1978 the Fraser government decided to proceed with a new building on Capital Hill, and the Parliament House Construction Authority was created. A two-stage competition was announced, for which the Authority consulted the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and, together with the National Capital Development Commission, made available to competitors a brief and competition documents. The design competition drew 329 entries from 29 countries.
The competition winner was the New York-based architectural firm of "Mitchell/Giurgola", with the on-site work directed by Italian architect Romaldo Giurgola, with a design which involved burying most of the building under Capital Hill, and capping the edifice with an enormous spire topped by a large Australian flag. The facades, however, included deliberate imitation of some of the patterns of the Old Parliament House, so that there is a slight resemblance despite the massive difference of scale.
Giurgola placed an emphasis the visual aethestics of the building by using landscape architect, Peter G. Rolland to direct civil engineers, a reversal of the traditional roles in Australia. Rolland played a pivotal role in the design, development and coordination of all surface elements including pool design, paving, conceptual lighting and art work locations. Horticultural experts from the Australian National Botanic Gardens and a government nursery were consulted on plant selection. Permanent irrigation has been limited to only the more formal areas.
Construction began in 1981, and the House was intended to be ready by Australia Day, 26 January 1988, the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia. It was expected to cost A$220 million. Neither the deadline nor the budget was met. The building was finally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1988, the anniversary of the opening of both the first Federal Parliament in Melbourne on 9 May 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V), and of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927 by the Duke of York (later King George VI).
The flag flown from the 81 meters (266 foot) flagpole is 12.8 m. by 6.4 m. (42 ft. by 21 ft.), about the size of half a tennis court. The flagpole weighs 250 tonnes and is made of polished stainless steel from Wollongong. It was designed to be the pinnacle of Parliament House and is an easily recognizable symbol of national government. It is visible by day from outside and inside Parliament House and floodlit at night. The flag itself weighs approximately 15 kg. (33 lb.).
The site covers 80 acres (32 hectares). The building was designed to "sit above" Old Parliament House when seen from a distance. The building is four meters (13 feet) higher than the original height of the hill. About one million cubic meters (35,000,000 cubic feet) of rock had to be excavated from the site. It was used to fill low-lying areas in the city. Most of the granite used was sourced from Australia. Twice the amount needed was quarried as a very high standard of granite was required particularly for the curved walls.
It was proposed originally to demolish Old Parliament House so that there would be an uninterrupted vista from the New Parliament House to Lake Burley Griffin and the Australian War Memorial, but there were successful representations for preservation of the historic building, which now houses a parliamentary museum.
The original idea was for Parliament House to be open freely to the public, and the sweeping lawns leading up to the entrances were intended to symbolize this. The building is a major visitor attraction in Canberra with about 1 million visits each year. With the increased risk of terrorist attacks in recent years, the security of Parliament House has been increased greatly. One result has been the construction of crash barriers blocking vehicular access to the lawns.
Above the images of the Old and New Parliament Houses is a plan of the New Parliament House. This was based on the Design Development Landscape Plan, which was provided by the Parliament House Construction Authority.
Aerial view of Parliament house. On the banknote is also mentioned the forestry zone. left of Senate building.
The geometric patterns on the back of the $5 banknote are based on architectural features of the New Parliament House. The patterns represent the entrance to the ministerial wing, the skylight in the Members Hall and the skylight in the Main Committee Room.
The Members' Hall, designed as a lofty, ceremonial space at the heart of the building, is located directly under the flag-mast.
It is the space in which the North-South axis of the building crosses with the East-West legislative axis that joins the Senate and House of Representatives Chambers.
Parliament House contains 19 committee rooms. Although these rooms are parliamentary spaces, they are not used for debating or voting on law-making. A parliamentary committee is made up of a small number of parliamentarians with a specific task - generally to gather information related to a bill (proposed law) or an issue of community concern. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have a range of committees, including joint committees.
The largest of these rooms is the Main Committee Room. It is the only area in the executive wing with a gallery that is open to the public. Like other major spaces in the building, it features a central skylight and timber-paneled walls. The room was designed for committee meetings, hearings, public conferences and televised press conferences.
Denomination in numeral is in top right corner.
Comments:
Designer: Bruce Stewart.
Three $5 polymer banknote designs have been issued since 1992. The first was considered too pale and some people found it difficult to distinguish from the $10 banknote so a brighter version was issued in 1995.
Those discrete to this note include:
1) When the banknote is held up to the light, a shadow image of the Australian Coat of Arms can be seen faintly, under other printing.
2) Microprint is very small but well-defined text that usually requires a magnifying glass to read. On the $5 banknote the microprint says "FIVE DOLLARS" and is located on the upper left, above the image of gum leaves.
3) When the banknote is held up to the light, a seven-pointed star within a circle is formed by four points on one side of the banknote combining perfectly with three points on the other side.
4) On all genuine banknotes the window should be very clear and look like it's an integral part of the banknote, not an addition. Inside the clear window on the $5 banknote there is a printed image of a stylised gum flower.
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