---
title: "What is on Australia's banknotes?"
description: "The Australian dollar: who is on each denomination, what was withdrawn and why, what the notes are printed on, and whether the sizes differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/banknote/australia/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is on the money in Australia?

**The money in Australia: Australian dollar (AUD, $)**

5 denominations in issue · Polymer

Australia issued the world's first polymer banknote in 1988, a commemorative $10 for the bicentenary, and had converted the whole currency by 1996 — every other polymer currency in the world descends from that research. The notes have a transparent window that is genuinely difficult to counterfeit and they survive a washing machine. Every denomination features a man on one side and a woman on the other, a rule adopted deliberately.

## Who and what is on each note

| Note | Who or what is on it |
| --- | --- |
| $5 | A design honouring the connection of First Australians to Country, replacing the monarch |
| $10 | Banjo Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore, poets |
| $20 | Mary Reibey and John Flynn |
| $50 | David Unaipon and Edith Cowan |
| $100 | Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash |

## The unusual part

The Reserve Bank announced in 2023 that the monarch would not appear on the new $5, ending the practice without replacing one head of state with another — the note carries an Indigenous design instead.

## The practical facts

- **Currency:** Australian dollar — ISO code AUD, symbol $
- **Printed on:** Polymer
- **Survives a wash?:** Yes. Polymer notes come out of a washing machine intact.
- **Can a blind person tell them apart?:** Yes — the denominations differ in size, which is the simplest and most reliable tactile cue there is.
- **Highest note in issue:** $100 — Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash

> This page describes the notes rather than showing them. Reproducing a banknote image is restricted in most jurisdictions, and the restrictions differ between them.

## Common questions

### Who is on the money in Australia?

$5: A design honouring the connection of First Australians to Country, replacing the monarch. $10: Banjo Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore, poets. $20: Mary Reibey and John Flynn. $50: David Unaipon and Edith Cowan. $100: Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash.

### Are Australia's banknotes polymer or paper?

Polymer. Polymer notes last two to three times as long as paper ones and survive a washing machine.

## Related pages

- [Australia](https://atoneplace.net/country/australia/)
- [The flag of Australia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/australia/)
- [The money in United States](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-states/)
- [The money in Eurozone](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/eurozone/)
- [The money in United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-kingdom/)
- [The money in India](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/india/)
- [The money in Japan](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/japan/)
- [The money in Zimbabwe](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/zimbabwe/)
- [The money in Canada](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/canada/)
- [The money in China](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/china/)
- [The money in Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/switzerland/)
- [The money in South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/south-africa/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)