The Australian one-hundred-dollar note was first issued in 1984 as a paper note.
There have been two different issues of this denomination: initially a very light turquoise-blue paper note, and from May 1996, a green
polymer note
Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknote ...
.
Since the start of issue there have been six signature combinations. Two other combinations were not issued.
Design
The paper issue has a portrait of
Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
explorer Sir
Douglas Mawson, with a background of a mountain range with a geological
strata
In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...
format. A large diamond shape appears to the left of the main picture. Astronomer
John Tebbutt
John Tebbutt (25 May 1834 – 29 November 1916) was an Australian astronomer, famous for discovering the " Great Comet of 1861".
Early life
Tebbutt was born at Windsor, New South Wales, the only son of John Tebbutt, then a prosperous store keepe ...
is on the reverse, with a background of the
observatory he built and a local church.
The polymer issue was designed by Bruce Stewart, and features portraits of soprano Dame
Nellie Melba and engineer and First World War general Sir
John Monash
General Sir John Monash, (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became co ...
.
[
A new design of the banknote, part of the Reserve Bank's Next Generation Banknote Program, was released into circulation on 29 October 2020.
]
Security features
The paper design includes a watermark
A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...
of Captain James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
in the white field, and a metallic strip embedded in the paper to the left (on the obverse side) of the note. The same watermark was used in the last issue of the pre-decimal banknotes.
The polymer issue includes a shadow image of the Australian Coat of Arms, which is printed over. In the clear window, there is embossing—or a raised image—of the number 100 and a print of a lyrebird. Also for this issue, fluorescent
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...
colouring was added to the serial numbers, as well as a patch that shows the banknote's value under ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
light. The star's four points on the obverse and three on the reverse join to form the seven-pointed Federation Star
The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.
Six points of the Star represen ...
when the note is held up to the light. Raised print and micro-printing of the denomination value are also included.
Circulation
According to Reserve Bank of Australia statistics, the number of $100 banknotes in circulation in June 2005 was 149 million—18.5% of all notes in circulation. The cash value for these notes was $14,924 million—41.9% of the total value for all denominations. Only the $50 note had more cash value in circulation. In June 2008 there were 176.9 million notes in circulation (19%), with a value of $17,690 million (42.1%).
In June 2017, 337 million $100 notes were in circulation,
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian one-hundred dollar banknote
Banknotes of Australia
Currencies introduced in 1984
One-hundred-base-unit banknotes
Cultural depictions of Nellie Melba