Royal Australian Mint
The Royal Australian Mint was opened in 1965 by Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh ahead of the introduction of the new Australian dollar in 1966. The mint makes every single coin in circulation as well as medallions and commemorative tokens. It does not produce notes; these are produced at Note Printing Australia.
Explore the mint to see the factory in action, admire the National Coin Collection and pick up a souvenir from the gift shop.
Take the free tour of the mint to see where dozens of specialist staff and robots work to create an enormous number of coins each day. The mint has made over 15 billion coins in its history and can produce up to 2 million in a single day. Head to the theatre to see a short film about the coin production process or look out over the factory from the viewing galleries. You’ll get a glimpse of one of the world’s most powerful industrial robots, the Titan, and see how a piece of metal is transformed into currency.
Mint your own $1 coin at the visitor press before you explore the National Coin Collection. The collection has some of the first coins to arrive in Australia and old “holey” dollars from the early 19th century. You’ll also find versions of Australian coins from throughout the country’s history, as well as forgeries and special editions.
The mint shop sells commemorative coins, medallions and gift packs. The range includes anything from animal-themed sets to surf and sports editions.
The Royal Australian Mint is in the suburb of Deakin, about 6.5 kilometres (four miles) from Canberra’s central business district. ACTION buses from the central business district stop at the mint. Parking is free.
The mint is open every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day, but the factory doesn’t usually operate on weekends. Tours run twice a day, every day during the week and three times on weekends. Admission is free.