Obverse: The centre of the coin features a crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley. The surrounding inscriptions include “ELIZABETH II”, “AUSTRALIA” and the face value “1 DOLLAR”. The portrait is encircled by a decorative beaded border.
Reverse: The centre of the coin depicts a kookaburra perched on a tree branch, a bird native to Australia and famous for its call resembling human laughter. The bird and the branch are highlighted with a gold-coloured finish, contrasting with the silver surface of the coin. Stylised sunrays appear in the background. The upper part bears the inscription “THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA”, while the lower part displays the year of issue “2009”, the weight and silver purity “1 oz 999 SILVER”. The Perth Mint's “P20” mintmark is visible on the left.
About the coin: The 2009 Australian Kookaburra silver coin belongs to one of the world's best-known silver bullion coin series, first introduced by the Perth Mint in 1990. A distinctive feature of this series is its annually changing reverse design depicting the kookaburra, a symbol of Australia's natural environment and wildlife. Kookaburras belong to the kingfisher family and are particularly famous for their unusual calls, which resemble loud human laughter. This bird holds an important place in Australian culture and frequently appears in the country's numismatic designs. The coin is struck from .999 fine silver, contains 1 troy ounce (31.1 g) of pure silver, measures 40.6 mm in diameter, and has a face value of 1 Australian dollar. The reverse design is enhanced with decorative gilding, giving the bird a striking contrast and additional collectible appeal. It is an attractive choice for collectors of Australian wildlife coins and precious metals.
