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The story of post and Australia Post

The postal service played an important role from the very beginning of colonial settlement in Australia, from the day when the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788.

The first incoming letter was addressed to Governor Phillip. The letter arrived on 19 March 1788 on HMS Supply. Early settlers had to wait about two years before the Second Fleet arrived with supplies and letters from home.
The first outgoing mail was sent to England on HMS Alexander on 13 July 1788. It included Governor Phillip's despatch to the British government, private letters and letters from the French explorer La Perouse. La Perouse's letters were regarded as the first mail ever "processed" on Australian shores and were the last official record of his expeditions.
By 1809, the situation on Sydney's wharves was chaotic. People would rush on board to collect their mail and sometimes take other people's mail. So, the first postmaster was appointed. His name was Isaac Nichols, an ex-convict transported to New South Wales for stealing a donkey. Isaac had impressed officials by his hard work and had gained a great deal of respect in the community. Incoming mail was collected from Isaac's home at a fixed price of one shilling per letter. Parcels cost more, depending on their weight.
In 1838, a system of prepayment for delivery was introduced. Prepaid, embossed sheets could be used as envelopes for delivery within Sydney. Many people still chose to send their letters unpaid, so that the delivery charge had to be met by the receiver. It wasn't until the 1850s that prepayment became common and stamps were introduced.
An overland mail service between Sydney and Melbourne began in 1838, with men on horseback travelling every two months between the two cities. By 1863, Cobb & Co. coaches were major carriers of mail between the colonies. This service continued until 1924 when motorised transport became more economical.
The first telegraph line in Australia was built in 1854 between Melbourne and Williamstown (Vic). In 1872, an overland telegraph was built between Port Augusta (SA) and Darwin (NT). It was later connected to an undersea cable from Indonesia. Messages to and from overseas could now be sent and received quite quickly.
In 1856, a regular monthly steamship service was established, carrying mail from Australia to England.
In 1883, a rail link was completed between Sydney and Melbourne and, for the first time, mail could be transported by train between the two cities.
In 1914, an airmail service was introduced between Sydney and Melbourne. At the time, it was the longest airmail flight in the world. In 1919, the first overseas airmail was carried between England and Australia by Ross and Keith Smith as part of an England-Australia air race, but a regular airmail service was not established until 1934.
On 1 January 1901, the Federation of Australia was established. Soon after this the six colonial Post and Telegraph Departments combined into one administration called the Commonwealth Postmaster-General's Department (PMG). This meant consolidating six different Post and Telegraph Acts, as well as all the different postage stamps and postal charges across the country.
For most of the 20th century, the Postmaster General's Department (PMG) was responsible for post and telegraph services throughout Australia. It was not until 1975 that these responsibilities were divided and two new organisations were created: the Telecommunications Commission (Telecom, now Telstra) and the Australian Postal Commission (now Australia Post).
In 1989, legislation was passed establishing Australia Post as a Government Business Enterprise. Since then it has operated commercially as a Corporation. It now has a board of directors and pays the full range of government taxes and charges. It also delivers a dividend (some of its profit) to the Australian government.
Australia Post currently operates a network of almost 4,500 post outlets. It has a fleet of over 10,400 vehicles and over 15,000 street posting boxes.