150 Dollars - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Desert Pea - Gold Proof

The Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa) was declared South Australia's floral emblem in 1961, though its association with the colony dates to early European exploration — John Gould collected specimens in the 1840s and the plant had already become something of a symbol for survival in the arid interior. This coin belongs to the RAM's ongoing Australian Flora and Fauna bullion program, which shifted toward premium proof issues in the mid-1990s as collector demand for high-finish gold outpaced interest in standard bullion strikes.

Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, adopted by Australia in 1998, makes its earliest appearances on issues from precisely this year.