At the centre sits a stunning inlay of matrix opal, in the shape of Australia. Opal forms in different parts of the country under different conditions, so no two stones share a pattern or a colour. The stone on your coin will not be the stone on anyone else's.

Around it is Australia after dark. Clockwise from the top: a crescent moon and stars, an Australian tiger moth, a nightjar owl, a Christmas beetle, a marbled gecko, a spotted quoll, a night parrot, a Leadbeater's possum, a koala and a ghost bat. Native flora fills the surrounding design, along with The Perth Mint's P mintmark and the coin's weight, purity and 2026 year-date.

The choice of species is worth a second look. The night parrot was thought extinct for most of a century before being rediscovered, and Leadbeater's possum is Victoria's faunal emblem and rarely seen. This is not the usual cast.

The Great Southern Land - Nocturnal - 2026 1oz Silver Proof Opal Coin is available in Australia from Direct Coins. Leading authorised distributor for The Perth Mint since 2012.