• Visit date: January 30 2013
• The visited post office: Christmas Island Post Office
• Cost of sending mail: 1,65 Australian Dollar to worldwide
• Postcard availability: Post Office, Souvenir Shop, Supermarket
• Postcard delivery time: 15 days to Germany, 20 days to China, one month to USA

The story of Christmas Island begins on Christmas Day, 1643, when Captain William Mynors, navigating for the British East India Company, sighted the island and fittingly named it in honor of the holiday. However, for centuries, Christmas Island remained uninhabited.

Christmas Island’s postal history mirrors its administrative and economic shifts. It began in 1901, with a post agency selling Straits Settlements stamps, followed by Singaporean stamps after 1946. In 1958, while under Australian control, the island retained its separate postal system. Initially, overprinted Singaporean and Australian stamps were used. By 1963, the island issued its first unique stamps featuring local elements, though the name “Australia” was not mentioned on these stamps.

In 1969, the postal administration was transferred to the island’s local authority, leading to more unique stamp designs. The stamps were then designated “CHRISTMAS ISLAND / INDIAN OCEAN” and were transported on ships, and from 1974 also via air services. This more local direction continued until 1993.

In 1993, Australia Post took over the island’s postal operations. From that point forward, Christmas Island stamps read “CHRISTMAS ISLAND / AUSTRALIA”, became valid in Australia, and Australian stamps became valid on the island. This change brought the island’s postal operations into line with the Australian postal system.

Sources: Wikipedia, Post office, Red Crabs, tourism

Our Experience on Christmas Island

Today, as I write this post, marks exactly 381 years since the discovery of Christmas Island. It’s been almost 12 years since we visited this remote island, and I’m sure quite a bit has changed since then. Even something as simple as sending an international postcard to Europe from the island now costs around 3 Australian dollars, compared to almost half that price back then. However, one thing that remains the same from our visit (a quirky fact and the island’s biggest attraction) is that crab migration can still disrupt the island’s postal traffic.

Every October-November, nearly 50 million red crabs journey to the Indian Ocean coast to breed. Each female crab releases between 60,000 and 100,000 eggs into the ocean over a span of 5-6 days. A month later, the tiny baby crabs are washed ashore and begin their trek back into the forest.

Our visit happened just after the main migration, but we still encountered crabs everywhere. Intentionally running over a crab carries a fine of up to $2000, so we often had to stop while driving around, either to let a crab cross the road, or to find a way to navigate around them without harming them.

We arrived on the island via Virgin Australia from Perth (Australia). Although Christmas Island is much closer to Indonesia than any Australian city, that was the only direct flight available. The island is home to fewer than 2,000 residents, primarily living in the capital, Flying Fish Cove, where everything is easily accessible. (63% of the island is Christmas Island National Park.) Our chosen accommodation, The Sunset, was perfect not only for its location, but also for our host, Angela. She warmly and knowledgeably shared her stories of local life and made us feel incredibly welcome.

The postcard selection in Flying Fish Cove was excellent, sold in the local supermarket, souvenir shop, and post office. The selection of stamps at the post office was enchanting. I’ve always been a fan of Christmas-themed stamps, and they were popular there even out of season. The post office itself also stocked all kinds of other fun tourist knick-knacks. Their website provides information about the island, everything from car rentals to events. With the help of a local postal worker, sending our postcards on their way we knew that they would arrive sooner or later. Indeed, our postcards reached their European destinations very quickly, with the first arriving within just two weeks.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope this look at Christmas Island’s stamps has connected you, in a small way, with the magic of the island.

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