Qantas World Routes, created in 1950 by Anna Drew, distills the optimism of early post-war aviation into a luminous pictorial world. Conceived as an advertisement for Qantas and charting services in concert with B.O.A.C. and T.E.A.L., it presents a confident global network with Australia at its heart. Drew pairs clean, intelligible routing with playful cultural vignettes, offering a world both navigable and richly storied. The included legend clarifies symbols and destinations, inviting the viewer to trace journeys from Sydney and Perth out across oceans and continents. More than a timetable in ink, this is a cosmopolitan manifesto: air routes as ribbons of possibility, binding Australia to New Zealand, Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

Drew’s full-color pictorial style is alive with emblematic imagery that lends geographic facts narrative warmth. Australia is celebrated with a koala and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while a black swan graces Perth—an elegant nod to Western Australia’s heraldry. Across the Tasman, a Maori talisman symbolizes New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea is evoked by a palm crowned with a radiant bird of paradise. Additional vignettes and stylized landmarks signal the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, India, Japan, China, and island waypoints such as Tahiti, with West and East African shores also referenced. These images do not distract; they choreograph attention along the clearly marked air routes that stitch the hemispheres together.

At the map’s heart, a compass rose rendered in an Aboriginal design anchors the composition with a distinctly Australian voice. This motif is more than ornament: it is a visual thesis, uniting modern flight with one of the world’s oldest artistic traditions. Around the perimeter, a warm brown border inset with the flying kangaroo repeats Qantas’s most resonant emblem, creating a frame that is at once decorative and declarative. The result is a precisely balanced pageant of national identity and global reach—corporate branding elevated to art, and cartography elevated to cultural storytelling.

Historically, the map captures a pivotal moment when air travel transformed from heroic endurance to practical, scheduled mobility. In 1950, Qantas’s expanding long-haul services—coordinated with B.O.A.C. and T.E.A.L.—stitched the “Kangaroo Route” toward London, extended trans-Pacific ambitions to North America, and threaded vital links through India, the Middle East, and the island chains of the Pacific. Africa’s Atlantic and Indian Ocean gateways, from West Africa to Kenya and Madagascar, appear as stepping stones in a truly intercontinental mosaic. The drawing together of Australia with Europe, Asia, and the Americas signaled a reconfigured world map of time and distance, promising a future in which oceans were intervals, not barriers.

As artwork, Qantas World Routes exemplifies the golden age of airline cartography, when maps doubled as ambassadors. Anna Drew’s orchestration of color, symbol, and line achieves that rare synthesis of clarity and allure: routes are legible at a glance, yet the eye lingers on the vignettes and the subtle cadence of the border’s flying kangaroos. The legend provides a key to the choreography, while the imagery rewards close study. Seen on a wall or in the hand, it conveys elegance and motion, commerce and culture—an object that celebrates where we fly, how we see, and why the journey still matters.

Countries and regions on this map

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• United States
• India
• Japan
• Various Pacific Islands (e.g., Tahiti)
• West Africa (e.g., Ghana, Nigeria)
• East Africa (e.g., Kenya, Madagascar)
• China
• Several Middle Eastern countries (depicted through various symbols)

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Vignettes: Illustrated representations of different countries, adding cultural context.
• Routes: Clearly visible air routes connecting Australia to various destinations.
• Artistic Elements: Use of bright colors and stylized depictions for notable landmarks.
• Compass Rose: Emphasizes indigenous designs and style.
• Border Decoration: Brown with flying kangaroo motifs, enhancing the overall aesthetic.
• Legend: Provides clarity about symbols used for various locations and routes.

Historical and design context

• Artwork Year: 1950
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Created by Anna Drew
• Map Type: World Map, Thematic and Pictorial
• Purpose: Advertisement for Qantas Airways
• Collaborators: Highlights routes in collaboration with B.O.A.C. and T.E.A.L.
• Design Style: Full-color pictorial map with cultural vignettes enhancing visual appeal
• Cultural Icons:
• Australia:
  • Black swan for Perth
  • Koala represents Australia
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge depicted for Sydney
• New Zealand: Maori talisman
• Papua New Guinea: Palm tree with a bird of paradise
• Historical Significance: Reflects post-war expansion of air travel and Qantas's role in connecting Australia globally

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.

Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.

We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.

• We can deliver directly to the recipient
• Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
• Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
• Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
• 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide

If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.

Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.

We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.

Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.

Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.

Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.

If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.

Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.

Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 5-year guarantee.

Read our full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.