Small But Perfect For The Job

This small weatherboard Post Office building was originally located north of Jindera at Huon and serviced the area between Jindera and Burrumbuttock. Huon Post Office had a very short life but one which was essential for the local residents.

It was established as a non-official receiving office in 1895, then upgraded to a non-official Allowance Post Office in 1900 before closing in 1904. The essential nature arose through the combination of the style of transport available, the distances to be covered to the nearest post office and the number of families in the area requiring somewhere to post and receive mail.

Transport at the time was either by foot, horse or wagon and the distance to the nearest post office meant substantial time away from work and farm just to post a letter or collect the mail. In 1869 there were an estimated sixty families in the Huon parish a number that would have increased in number and therefore demand for local mail services over the following years.

The post office building would have replaced the informal drop-off and pick-up of mail on the mail route that ran twice a week from Albury from the 1880s and importantly provided cover from the weather. As mail services increased in regularity to six times a week in 1903 it is intriguing to wonder why Huon post office closed only a year later.

After spending a number of years in use as a tack room the building was moved from its paddock location to the museum. The Post Office still contains some original furnishings including a letter basket and cupboard from its time at Huon as well as a table from Jindera Post Office.