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Centenary of Wagga Wagga Post Office Building Print Page 
21-April-2019
Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown
The plaque commemorates the centenary of the former Wagga Wagga Post Office building which was opened in 1888.
In 1886, plans began to be made for a new Post Office. It was to be for postal purposes only – the telegraph services were to remain in the old building. This new office was constructed next door to the existing Post Office, the building that is currently the Wagga Wagga Court Office.
On the Tuesday following the opening of the new building on August 6, 1888, the Editor of the Wagga Wagga Advertiser gave a scathing, and at times, sarcastic, report on the ‘Government Job’: "The ‘cheap and nasty’ character of this building, viewed externally, has long been the subject of common talk…"
He went on to extend that criticism to the interior: "The Post Master’s office is not much larger than a good sized bathroom which may, perhaps, account for the absence of a fireplace, or any heating apparatus."
"It is nothing new to discover a want of capacity on the part of the Colonial Architect’s Department; but in the present instance that Department would seem to have excelled all previous efforts in the same direction…"
"From whatever point of view regarded the new Post-office appears to be a Government ‘job’ of a very decided, not to say characteristic, sort."
The new arrangement of separate offices for post and telegraph only remained in place for only a few years for, in 1895, additions began on the Post Office so that telegraph services could again be conducted in the same building.
In 1993, the Post Office moved from the building it had been in for over 100 years to Best Place at the corner of Baylis and Morrow Streets; three years later, another move was made to the newly established Wagga Wagga Marketplace.
Wagga Wagga Post Office Centenary booklet, 1888-1988.
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In 1886, plans began to be made for a new Post Office. It was to be for postal purposes only – the telegraph services were to remain in the old building. This new office was constructed next door to the existing Post Office, the building that is currently the Wagga Wagga Court Office.
On the Tuesday following the opening of the new building on August 6, 1888, the Editor of the Wagga Wagga Advertiser gave a scathing, and at times, sarcastic, report on the ‘Government Job’: "The ‘cheap and nasty’ character of this building, viewed externally, has long been the subject of common talk…"
He went on to extend that criticism to the interior: "The Post Master’s office is not much larger than a good sized bathroom which may, perhaps, account for the absence of a fireplace, or any heating apparatus."
"It is nothing new to discover a want of capacity on the part of the Colonial Architect’s Department; but in the present instance that Department would seem to have excelled all previous efforts in the same direction…"
"From whatever point of view regarded the new Post-office appears to be a Government ‘job’ of a very decided, not to say characteristic, sort."
The new arrangement of separate offices for post and telegraph only remained in place for only a few years for, in 1895, additions began on the Post Office so that telegraph services could again be conducted in the same building.
In 1993, the Post Office moved from the building it had been in for over 100 years to Best Place at the corner of Baylis and Morrow Streets; three years later, another move was made to the newly established Wagga Wagga Marketplace.
Wagga Wagga Post Office Centenary booklet, 1888-1988.
Location
| Address: | 51 Fitzmaurice Street, Former Post Office Building, Wagga Wagga, 2650 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.106736 Long: 147.370362 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Government |
| Sub-Theme: | Colonial |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 06-August-1888 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 06-August-1988 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1988 |
|---|
Front Inscription
THIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES
THE CENTENARY OF
WAGGA WAGGA
POST OFFICE BUILDING
WHICH WAS OPENED ON 6 AUGUST 1888.
1888 — 1988
Source: MATHIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES
THE CENTENARY OF
WAGGA WAGGA
POST OFFICE BUILDING
WHICH WAS OPENED ON 6 AUGUST 1888.
1888 — 1988
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
