The Bush Tucker features five Australian plants traditionally eaten by Aboriginal people. The part of the plant consumed as depicted varies from the tuber (murnong); fruit (quandong and lilly-pilly); seed (acacia); and flower (honey grevillea). The featured plants are found in a range of climates and locations throughout Australia.
The plant foods are shown against a background of a woven basket or wooden coolamon. These containers, from the collections of the Museum of Victoria, are appropriate to particular regions where the foods are found.
The issue date of stamp is 3 September 2002 and designed by Janet Boschen from Australia Post Design Studio.
Lilly-pilly (Acmena smithii):
There are several varieties of lilly-pilly fruits that may be eaten. Acmena smithii or lilly-pilly , depicted on the stamp, grows best in the moist soil of mountain gullies from Victoria to Northern Queensland. The pale mauve or white berry-like fruits are pleasantly tart and juicy and can be picked and eaten raw from the tree. Acmena smithii is a common urban street tree.
