Reverse: Along the rim on top, the inscription “RUM REBELLION”. At the bottom, the Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark and “1808”. In the center, the rectangular dump portrays an historic illustration of the Rum Rebellion depicting a rebel’s eye view of Bligh’s arrest.

Obverse: Both the dollar and the dump portray the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, “ELIZABETH II”, “AUSTRALIA”, and the face value. The dollar also shows the year of issue.

Exactly 20 years after the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Cove on January 26th 1788, Australia experienced its first – and only – military insurrection: the Rum Rebellion. The revolt was perpetrated against William Bligh (1754-1817), fourth Governor of New South Wales and former Captain of HMS Bounty. The perpetrators were the influential officers of the NSW Corps – also known as the ‘Rum’ Corps because of their control of the colony’s ‘rum’ trade. Under instruction to limit their power, Bligh introduced reforms that threatened the officers’ activities and prestige and prohibited offering spirits in payment for commodities. Though many colonists supported his attempts to normalize trade, others resented his interference. A series of charges and countercharges culminated in a military rebellion in January 1808.