You’ve probably got one in your wallet right now. Or maybe it’s crumpled at the bottom of a bag, surviving a trip through the washing machine because, well, it’s plastic. The Australian 10 dollar note is one of those things we use every single day without really looking at it. We tap cards, we use phones, but the "blue swimmer" is still the backbone of a quick coffee run or a bakery visit. It’s iconic.
But honestly? Most people have no clue how much tech is packed into that little slip of polymer.
Australia was the first country to go all-in on plastic money back in the late 80s. Before that, we had paper notes that got soggy, tore easily, and were way too easy for a clever crook to fake. The current Australian 10 dollar note, part of the Next Generation Banknote (NGB) series released by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in 2017, is basically a high-tech computer chip made of film. It’s got "tactile" features for the vision-impaired and a clear window that runs from top to bottom. It’s weirdly beautiful if you actually stop to stare at it.
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Who are the faces on the Australian 10 dollar note?
Every Australian banknote has a theme. For the tenner, it’s all about literature. We’re talking about the heavy hitters of the Australian outback soul.
On one side, you’ve got Dame Mary Gilmore. She wasn't just some poet; she was a radical. She wrote about the harsh reality of the bush and was a massive campaigner for social reform. If you look really closely—and I mean get a magnifying glass out—you can see microprint of her work, No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest. It’s tiny. Like, "don't bother trying to read this without 20/20 vision" tiny.
Flip it over and there’s AB 'Banjo' Paterson. You know him. He’s the guy who gave us The Man from Snowy River and Waltzing Matilda. His face is synonymous with the Australian identity. The RBA didn't just pick him because he’s famous; they picked him because his writing defines the ruggedness of the country.
What’s cool is that the design team actually consulted with the families and experts to make sure the portraits were right. They used photographs from the National Library of Australia to get the shading on Banjo’s mustache just perfect. It’s that level of detail that makes these notes world-class.
The security features that make faking it nearly impossible
Look, people try to counterfeit everything. But the Australian 10 dollar note is a nightmare for forgers.
The clear window is the big one. It’s not just a hole; it’s got multiple security elements embedded inside it. There’s a flying Bramble Cay melomys (a little rodent-like creature) that changes color when you tilt the note. Then you have the building at the bottom—the Homestead—which also has a "rolling color" effect.
If you tilt the note, you’ll see a 3D image of a nib from a fountain pen. It’s a nod to the writers on the note.
The "tactile" feature is something the RBA is rightfully proud of. On the Australian 10 dollar note, there are two raised bumps on each of the long edges. This allows someone who is blind or has low vision to touch the note and immediately know it’s a tenner. It’s about dignity and independence. Before this, people had to rely on "banknote measurers" or just trust the person handing them change.
The "Blue Swimmer" and the Flora
The color is intentional. The vibrant blue makes it instantly distinguishable from the five (purple), twenty (red), or fifty (yellow). But it’s not just blue for the sake of it. The note features the Bramble Cay melomys and the Acacia victoriae, commonly known as the Bramble Wattle.
Interestingly, the melomys is actually a bit of a tragic inclusion. It was declared extinct in 2019, making it the first mammal to go extinct due to human-induced climate change. Having it on the note is a permanent, bittersweet memorial to a species we lost.
Why the polymer material changed everything
Back in the 60s, Australia had a massive problem with counterfeit 10 dollar bills. A group of people managed to print high-quality fakes that almost crashed public confidence in the currency. The RBA teamed up with the CSIRO (Australia’s national science agency) to find a solution.
They landed on polymer.
The Australian 10 dollar note is printed on a specialized plastic film called Guardian. It starts as clear plastic pellets that are blown into a massive bubble several stories high. Then it’s flattened, coated, and printed.
It lasts way longer than paper. About four times longer, actually.
Because it’s non-porous, it doesn't soak up sweat, dirt, or oils from your hands. This means the notes stay cleaner. Sure, they can be a bit slippery when they’re brand new—good luck trying to fold a fresh stack of them to put in a birthday card—but they are incredibly durable. You can’t easily tear them. You can wash them. You can probably even drop one in a deep fryer (don't do that) and it might survive for a second or two.
Common misconceptions about the tenner
People love a good urban legend. You might have heard that if you tear a banknote in half, it’s worthless. Not true. In Australia, if you have more than 80% of the note, it’s worth the full $10. If you have between 20% and 80%, you get a pro-rata value. So, if you have exactly half, the bank will technically give you five bucks.
Another one? "The signature has to be the current Governor of the Reserve Bank."
Nope. Notes stay in circulation for years. You’ll see signatures from Glenn Stevens or Philip Lowe even though Michele Bullock is the current Governor. They are all legal tender.
Some people also think the "Next Gen" notes are smaller. They aren't. They kept the exact same dimensions ($137 \text{ mm} \times 67 \text{ mm}$) so that vending machines and ATMs didn't need a total hardware overhaul.
How to spot a fake (even though they are rare)
Even with all the tech, it’s worth knowing what to look for.
- Check the plastic. It should feel like plastic, not paper. If you try to tear it, it should resist.
- Look at the window. The images in the window shouldn't be printed on top; they should be inside the clear plastic. They shouldn't rub off with a fingernail.
- The Coat of Arms. If you hold the note up to the light, you should see the Australian Coat of Arms formed by light shining through.
- Microprint. Under a magnifying glass, the lines that look like simple borders are actually tiny words. On the $10 note, it's excerpts from Paterson and Gilmore’s poetry.
If you ever find a note that feels "off," don't try to spend it. That’s an offense. Take it to the police or a bank. Usually, if it’s a genuine note that’s just been badly damaged (like by a chemical spill), the bank can send it off to the RBA for "mutilated currency" processing.
The Future of the 10 Dollar Note
We’re moving toward a cashless society. It’s faster. It’s easier for tracking taxes. But the Australian 10 dollar note isn't going anywhere yet. Cash is still vital for regional areas with bad internet, for kids learning the value of money, and for privacy.
The RBA continues to monitor the "note pool." There are hundreds of millions of these things in circulation. Even as digital payments grow, the demand for physical cash actually tends to spike during times of crisis—like during the 2020 lockdowns or after major bushfires when power grids go down.
The tenner is a safety net. It’s also a piece of art.
Next time you’re paying for a meat pie or a coffee, take five seconds to look at the window. Watch the melomys change color. Feel the raised bumps. It’s a tiny masterpiece of Australian engineering that we all carry in our pockets.
Actionable Steps for Handling Currency
If you want to make the most of your physical cash or ensure you're protected, keep these points in mind:
- Store them flat: While polymer is tough, excessive folding or "scrunching" can eventually cause the ink to wear off the raised sections, making security features harder to verify.
- Check your change: Quickly glance at the clear window when receiving a note in a high-cash environment (like a market or festival) to ensure the holographic elements are present.
- Exchange damaged notes: If you have a note that’s been burnt or partially eaten by the lawnmower, don't throw it away. Put the pieces in a clear bag and take them to your local bank branch; they have specific forms to help you reclaim the value from the Reserve Bank of Australia.
- Keep a "Stash": Maintaining a small amount of physical $10 and $20 notes at home is a recommended part of an emergency preparedness kit for situations where electronic payment systems fail.