Post and Telegraph Offices, Mackay, c 1890

News of the Day

Queensland Figaro and Punch, Saturday 1 October 1887, page 15

POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE, MACKAY

" A Commercial Traveller" speaks with disgust of the delay experienced by Mackay people in getting their letters delivered after the arrival of the mail, and instances a special case about five weeks ago, when the mails arrived at the local post office at 4 p.m. Though there are four officials in the Mackay Post Office, only one boy - an urchin answering to the name, Paddy - was delivering letters. Favourites seemed to receive their correspondence all right, but " A Commercial Traveller" patiently waited on till 6 p.m., when the delivery window was shut down. He had asked several times, but had been each time told to wait until the letters were sorted. As his correspondence refers to his own special business, he suffers grievous loss and injury by such incapacity of post office officials, and he rushes to FIGARO to ventilate his grievance for him.

Background

This two-storey building has dominated the River Street location since its construction in 1883.

The Mackay Post Office and Telegraph Office was designed in the 1870s, but the first stage was not constructed until 1883 with the adjoining Telegraph Office constructed in 1884.

The construction is only two years after the city’s oldest building: The Australian Joint Stock Bank at 63 Victoria Street, constructed in 1881. Thus, the construction of such prominent buildings, both designed by the Colonial Architect, F.D.G. Stanley, demonstrates the growth and importance of the Mackay region in the late 19th century. The government architect, F.D.G. Stanley, was responsible for design and construction of Queensland post offices from 1872 – 1881, and George Connolly bet ween 1881-1883 and 1885 -1891.

Courtesy of the Mackay Local Heritage Register

 

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