Yungaburra Post Office facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yungaburra Post Office |
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Yungaburra Post Office, 2015
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| Location | 15-17 Cedar Street, Yungaburra, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1926 |
| Official name: Yungaburra Post Office and residence | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600471 |
| Significant period | 1920s (fabric) 1920s-ongoing (historical, social) |
| Significant components | residential accommodation - post master's house/quarters, garden/grounds, post & telegraph office |
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The Yungaburra Post Office is a special building in Yungaburra, Queensland, Australia. It's a heritage-listed post office located at 15-17 Cedar Street. This timber building was built in 1926. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, because of its historical importance.
Contents
A Look Back: Yungaburra's History
The Yungaburra Post Office is a timber building. It was built in 1926 using a common design for post offices back then. Next to it, there's a timber house where the postmaster used to live. In the very early days, mail services in Yungaburra were actually handled at the railway station.
Early Settlers and the Railway
The first Europeans came to the Atherton Tableland to cut timber and mine. But people soon realized the rich soil and cool weather were perfect for farming. In 1885, a plan called the Village Settlement scheme started. It offered settlers 40-acre farms with homes grouped in a village.
Around this time, the railway from Cairns to the Tableland began. It took a long time to finish. In 1888, a village settlement was set up at Allumbah Pocket, which later became Yungaburra. The first farms started in 1891, but the settlement plan didn't work out well at first.
The railway reached Mareeba in 1895 and Atherton in 1903. This made it much easier to get to the area. New land laws in the early 1900s encouraged more people to settle. This led to more people taking up land around Allumbah.
How Yungaburra Grew
The land where the post office stands today was once part of a farm. George O'Donnell chose this farm in 1899. In 1900, the land was sold and then divided into many smaller blocks in 1910. The Railway Commissioner bought six acres.
The new Yungaburra railway station opened in 1910. Its location caused the town's center to shift. Buildings were either built new or moved closer to the railway. Allumbah was renamed Yungaburra to avoid confusion with another town.
This started a period of fast growth for Yungaburra. A sawmill, a hotel, and many shops and houses were built near the railway station. In 1911, the Shire of Eacham was formed, which helped manage the area.
The Post Office Arrives
At first, postal services were run from the railway station. This was common when mail traveled by train and there wasn't a separate post office building. From 1924, L. Craven was listed as the postmaster for Yungaburra.
The Gillies Highway opened on June 26, 1926. This road connected Yungaburra to Gordonvale. It was the first proper road to the Tablelands. This road made Yungaburra a popular stop for tourists visiting the nearby lakes.
Because of this increase in visitors, the Australian Government bought the land for the post office in August 1926. They then built the post office building. We don't know if the postmaster's house was already there or built at the same time.
Post Office Design and Use
The years between World War I and World War II were busy for building post offices. Twenty-six buildings with this "porch and gable" design were built in Queensland country towns between 1923 and 1939. This type of post office didn't have living space for postal workers inside. The living quarters were in a separate building.
The Yungaburra Post Office used new materials for the time, like concrete stumps and shingles on the sun hoods. The post office had several staff members and a telephone exchange. Many tourists visiting Yungaburra used its services. During World War II, many soldiers were based on the Tablelands. They often visited Yungaburra for fun and would have used the post office. Mr. T. L. Bytie was the postmaster during the war years.
In 1974, the post office operations changed. The property then went into private ownership. However, it still works as a post office today. The current owner has had it since 1979.
What the Post Office Looks Like
The post office and the residence are both timber buildings. They are on neighboring blocks of land. The front of the post office faces Cedar Street. It has a separate post box on the sidewalk. The residence is set back further from the road on its block. Both buildings have nice gardens around them, which makes the street look pretty.
The Post Office Building
The post office is a single-story timber building. It sits on concrete stumps. It has a main roof that slopes down on all sides, covered with corrugated iron. In the middle of the front, there's a part that sticks out with a pointed roof, called a gable. The sign "Yungaburra Post Office" is on this gable.
The main roof extends out on both sides of the gable. This creates two porches. You can get to these porches by stairs with timber handrails. The porch on the left has the postal boxes and the main entrance. The porch on the right is currently closed off.
There are three windows grouped together in the central gable. A shingled hood shades these windows from the sun. On either side of the building, there are pairs of windows also covered by hoods. At the back, a modern awning provides shade for the loading area.
Inside the building, the walls are covered with timber. The ceiling is made of fibrous cement panels. A timber counter separates the public area from the office where mail is sorted. In the public area at the front, there's a writing bench under the windows.
The Postmaster's Residence
The residence is set quite far back on its block. It faces towards the post office building. A lawn and garden beds connect it to the back of the post office. It is also a timber building on stumps with a hipped roof covered in corrugated iron.
There is a central gable facing towards the post office. The building has parts of a verandah at the front and side. Much of this verandah has been built in, meaning it's now enclosed. The house has had some changes and additions made to its outside over the years.
Why It's Important: Heritage Listing
The Yungaburra Post Office and residence were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means they are important for several reasons:
- Showing Queensland's History: The post office helps us understand how Queensland's history unfolded. It was built when the Gillies Highway connected this area to the coast. It provided important services that helped the town grow. It also helped Yungaburra become a gateway to the surrounding area and supported the early tourism industry on the Atherton Tablelands.
- A Great Example of Its Kind: The Post Office is a good example of a timber post office from the 1920s. It has the "twin porch and gable" design. This was a standard design used by the Government Architect's Office. Buildings from this time were known for their high quality.
- Looks Good: The building adds a lot to the look and feel of Yungaburra town. It's a visually important part of the area.
- Strong Community Connection: The Post Office has been important to the people of Yungaburra and the surrounding area for a long time. It has provided communication services from this building since 1926.
