Today in Postal History

Southern Rhodesia to Australia
December 5, 1934

This first flight cover  was sent on from Bulawayo,
Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Bulawayo is about 380 km southwest of Salisbury (now Harare).

The cover went to Cairo where it was put on the
Cairo to Brisbane leg of the first London to Brisbane flight.
The flight was a joint flight by two airlines.
Imperial Airways flew the mail from London to Cairo and
Qantas Empire Airways flew the mail on to Brisbane.

The cover is addressed to A. Phillips, a Qantas Empire Airways employee in Brisbane.

There is a Cairo transit and Brisbane receiver on the reverse.

The cover is franked with two King George V stamps from the 1931 series.
There is a 6d. black and magenta and a 9d. vermilion and olive green
(SG 20 and 21b - the first has perforation variants).
There are also both stamps of the 1932 Victoria Falls issue.
The sender used a 2d. green and chocolate and a 3d. deep ultramarine (SG 29 and 30).
This provides a colorful franking.

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