When did Australia switch to decimal currency?
Australia switched to decimal currency on 14 February 1966, replacing pounds, shillings and pence with dollars and cents. The change was promoted by a famous advertising campaign featuring a cartoon character called Dollar Bill.
Under the old system, one pound was worth 20 shillings, and one shilling was worth 12 pence. Calculations were complicated, and many countries were moving to decimal systems.
The new dollar was worth ten shillings, half the value of the old pound. One dollar was divided into 100 cents.
Names and designs
Before the change, several names were considered for the new currency, including the royal and the austral. The name dollar was eventually chosen.
The new coins featured Australian animals, designed by artist Stuart Devlin, including the echidna, platypus, lyrebird and frill-necked lizard. Many of these designs are still used today.
A jingle to the tune of Click Go the Shears helped people remember the date of the change. The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra was built to produce the new coins. The changeover went smoothly, and old coins were withdrawn over the following years.