Shoppers paying cash at participating Post Offices can now get a coloured $2 goanna coin back in their change. The coin carries the animal's Gudanji name, Jurrgubadi.

• The $2 coin you can only find in your change
• Why Ryhia Dank wants her daughter to hold a Gudanji word in her hand
• One in 10 tubes hides a coloured saltwater crocodile

Shoppers paying cash at participating Post Offices can now get a coloured $2 goanna coin back in their change. The coin carries the animal's Gudanji name, Jurrgubadi.

For Gudanji/Wakaja and Kalkadoon artist Ryhia Dank, who designed it, the coin carries a message for her own family.

"It's really special knowing that my daughter Johnnie will grow up seeing her family's language represented in everyday Australian life," Ms Dank said.

"To have our language featured on something as familiar as a coin, something she can hold in her hands, is something I'm incredibly proud of."

The goanna coin belongs to Our Animals, Our Country, a coin and stamp collection released today by Australia Post, the Royal Australian Mint and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). It celebrates the Gudanji language of the Gulf Country and Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory.

Ms Dank, an ILF Ambassador who works under the name nardurna, painted six native animals and named each one in Gudanji:

• Marraji (Red Kangaroo)
• Jagurrugurru (Emu)
• Mardumbarrayi (Saltwater Crocodile)
• Darrmanji (Brolga)
• Gulamandarrina (Long-necked Turtle)
• Jurrgubadi (Goanna)

She chose animals her community lives alongside.

"When someone picks up the saltwater crocodile coin, I want them to think of the crocodiles they see down at the creek or along the river," she said.

"Similarly, when they see the brolga, I hope it reminds them of the brolgas dancing out on the plains."

The Gudanji names were central to the project.

"These animals have been known and named by our people for generations, long before the English names we commonly use today," Ms Dank said.

She calls her painting Storywork. Shrinking it to fit a coin and a stamp was the main design challenge.

"My work often features lots of movement, layers and intricate details, so I had to think about how those elements would work across different formats," she said.

"I wanted to make sure that even at a smaller scale, the artworks still felt like mine. The flowing lines, bold shapes and colours are all still there, just adapted."

ILF Chief Executive Officer Ben Bowen said the collection tied language to identity.

"Language is a powerful connection to culture, Country and Community," Mr Bowen said.

"Through this partnership with Australia Post and the Royal Australian Mint, we're proud to help share Gudanji stories and support the preservation and celebration of First Nations languages for generations to come."

Royal Australian Mint Chief Executive Officer Emily Martin said the partnership gave the Mint a new way to release a coloured coin into circulation.

"Finding a coloured coin in your change is a little unexpected surprise that can brighten your day," Ms Martin said.

Australia Post General Manager, Retail Product and Supply Chain, Kayla Le Cornu said the collectables would be "shared and enjoyed across generations".

Australia Post has worked with the ILF since 2020 to deliver culturally relevant books and literacy resources to remote First Nations communities.

The kangaroo, emu, crocodile, brolga and turtle appear on five collectable $1 coins, on sale from today at participating Post Offices and online. Individual coins with a special privy mark cost $15 each. A five-coin tube and folder set costs $34, and one in every 10 tubes includes a coloured $1 Mardumbarrayi (Saltwater Crocodile) coin. A stamp pack with three mounted stamps and a large-format minisheet costs $11.55.

Ms Dank hopes a single unfamiliar word on a coin or stamp will be enough to start people learning.

"Someone might pick up a stamp or a coin, see a word they've never come across before and want to know what it means or how to pronounce it," she said.

"Hopefully, they'll walk away knowing a few new Gudanji words!"