5 Pounds Bank of Australasia

The Bank of Australasia was a British-chartered colonial bank, incorporated by royal charter in 1835 and headquartered in London — meaning this note, though circulating in Australian colonies, was essentially a product of the imperial financial system rather than any local banking authority. Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the dominant security printers of the period, responsible for the penny black stamp and much of the British Empire's currency work, and their siderographic transfer process made plate duplication and forgery unusually difficult for the time.

The bank maintained branches across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, with the colonial note issue tightly controlled from London throughout.