This Five Dollar Bicentenary of Tasmania commemorative coin was issued to mark 200 years of European settlement. The reverse of the coin was designed by Vladimir Gottwald and has an outline map of Tasmania with the discovery ship 'The Lady Nelson' and local flowers. It contains the legend "BICENTENARY OF TASMANIA". The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, right-facing with tiara and earrings. The legend reads "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2004 5 DOLLARS". The coin is housed in a protective capsule along with a Certificate of Authenticity. This all fits neatly into wooden box and has the Royal Australian Mint crest ensuring highest minting quality.
The Tasmania Bicentenary commemorates 200 years of European settlement. There is, however, some contention as to the actual date for the bicentenary. The Government of Tasmania has opted for 1804 as the year in which it was founded. It is thought that governor King took an initiative against French occupation of the southern Australasian continent by charging Bowen, specifically, to occupy the island for his majesty George III and claim it and also charged him to tell the French or indeed any other nation that it had been occupied by his majesty's government and it was a dependency and settlement of the British Empire.
Irrespective of the original date, the Government has since decided that the bicentenary will be remembered throughout more than one year. It will commence in September 2003 and go through to December 2004, therefore the first five settlements of Risdon Cove, Sullivan's Cove, York Town, George Town and Launceston will be acknowledged in 2004. Victoria will acknowledge the settlement of Sorrento from the 9th October 1803 with many events planned (Roots Web, 2000) . Tasmanian-born writer Phillip Tardif won the $5,000 Tasmanian Bicentenary Local History Prize for his book, John Bowen's Hobart, published by the Tasmanian Historical Research Association. The book marks the bicentenary of European settlement in Tasmania.