Starbucks Australia mug: Been There Series
This Australia mug from Starbucks' Been There Series writes AUSTRALIA in dark green striped capitals above a koala, yellow flip-flops, a kangaroo, a surfboard and a sailboat, with a mint green inside.
- Series
- Been There Series
- Place
- Australia
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- Not confirmed
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The petition from Dalby that did not stop Queensland's koala season
Residents of Dalby and the surrounding district signed a petition in 1927 and sent it to Queensland's Acting Premier. They were protesting the declared open season on koalas [1]. They were far from alone: Queensland State Archives holds letters from individuals, councils and organisations across Queensland and Australia [2]. Newspapers reported that Cabinet reviewed its decision. It seems the season was held anyway, for the month of August 1927, and it covered koalas and opossums [3]. In the weeks before it opened, the government collected licence fees from 10,000 potential hunters, according to the animal welfare group Respect for Animals [4]. The same group says 600,000 koala pelts were collected that August [5]. The koala on the Australia mug (2) belongs to the species at the center of that month.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
AUSTRALIA in dark green capitals with striped fill across the upper front.
- 2Koala
A koala with a spotted green coat clings to a tree at the left.
- 3Flip-flops
A pair of yellow flip-flops with green straps sits in the upper middle.
- 4Surfboard
A long leaf-shaped green surfboard with a zigzag pattern lies at the upper right.
- 5Kangaroo
A green kangaroo with a long tail leaps across the lower middle.
- 6Sailboat
A yellow sail and hull appear at the right edge beside the handle.
The photo shows the front only. The back, the opposite side and the underside are out of view.
Collector notes
- This is the green Australia mug. Our checklist has a second Been There Australia mug, dated 2024, whose front shows Bondi Beach and Shipstern Bluff lettering in red, so the colour is the quickest way to tell them apart.
- The inside is mint green, matching the green outlines on the front.
Before you buy
The photo shows the front only, so the back and underside are out of view. The inside is mint green. A second Been There Australia mug, dated 2024, is red on the front with Bondi Beach lettering, so color is the quickest way to tell them apart.
Other Australia mugs
Sources
- Save our koala in 1927! (Queensland State Archives)
- Save our koala in 1927! (Queensland State Archives)
- Save our koala in 1927! (Queensland State Archives)
- Koalas, Black August and the long bloody history of the fur trade (Respect for Animals)
- Koalas, Black August and the long bloody history of the fur trade (Respect for Animals)
