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53-487: Cardwell Bush Telegraph is a heritage-listed former post office and now heritage centre at 53 Victoria Street, Cardwell , Cassowary Coast Region , Queensland , Australia. The Telegraph and Post Office at Cardwell was designed by Colonial Architect's Office and built in 1870 by George McCallum, making it one of the oldest buildings in North Queensland . The building operated as a post office until 1982. It

106-414: A counter, with a timber battened panel above, opening to the enclosed northern corner verandah. The eastern room has a large louvred window in the northeast wall, and a timber fireplace surround attached to the southeast wall over an enclosed doorway. Both rear rooms have tall casement windows , and verandahs have unlined ceilings. A coconut palm is located at the northern corner of the site, another palm

159-471: A home for local artists to display and sell their interesting art works. The former Cardwell Post Office is located on the southern corner of Victoria Street, the main street of Cardwell, and Balliol Street opposite the foreshore fronting the entrance to Hinchinbrook Channel . It is part of a precinct of government buildings, including the former Shire Hall, Police Station and residence, former Court House, CWA building and Cardwell State School. The building

212-457: A large outdoor display facility houses local artefacts including an old tip dray and a spring cart which was used in the area for many years. Cross-cut saws, a hand plough, a banana-case making machine, railway construction implements and other items are exhibited. Also near the library the old Cardwell School of Arts, which was the original town library, dating from the first decade of the nineteenth century, has also been refurbished. It now provides

265-643: A larger kitchen by 1896. The kitchen was linked via a covered walkway to the main building by 1904. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the post and telegraph services of the Australian states were merged into a single national service called the Postmaster-General's Department (now Australia Post ). The building was a residence as well as a service outlet. The Postmaster was also Linesman-in-Charge , responsible for maintenance of

318-551: A much smaller scale and a more recent lock-up (gaol) dating from 1907 have been re-located to the rear of the Cardwell Divisional Board Hall, later the Shire Hall. Sadly, this hall was severely damaged in 2011 by Tropical Cyclone Yasi . It housed council's museum at the time, which also suffered lost displays. However, the building was reconstructed closely to match its original timber appearance, with

371-532: A new post office was opened in Cardwell. The building was then used as residence. before being converted to a heritage centre in 2003. In 2001, the Cardwell Shire Council received funding through Queensland Heritage Trails Network for conservation and refurbishment of the former telegraph office, the former court house and lock-up to create a heritage centre. As well as being significant in

424-567: A strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. As a premises which operated as a Post Office from 1870 until 1983, it has a strong association with the Cardwell community. [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article incorporates text from "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were computed from

477-602: Is a rural locality in the Shire of Etheridge , Queensland , Australia. In the 2021 census , the locality of Gilberton had a population of 26 people. The old Gilberton township lies within a cattle station (privately owned by one family since 1869, which was established on the Ewamian Aboriginal land. The only remains of the town is the stone fortress that was built by the Martell family in 1869. The date palm on

530-540: Is a single-storeyed timber structure, consisting of four rooms with a central corridor, surrounded by verandahs to all four sides with a kitchen house at the rear connected by an enclosed walkway. The building has a hipped corrugated iron roof, with a break in pitch to the verandahs. There are some concrete stumps, but most are of timber. The northeast verandah, and much of the northwest, has been enclosed with corrugated fibrous cement sheeting and has both timber sash and aluminium sliding windows. The western verandah corner

583-411: Is enclosed with chamferboard , part of the southeast has also been enclosed with chamferboard to form a bathroom, and the other verandahs have been enclosed with glass louvres and fibrous cement sheeting. The kitchen house is of single-skin chamferboard with sash windows and a hipped corrugated iron roof. The single-skin building has weatherboard to the verandah walls with beaded horizontal boarding to

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636-402: Is identified by its PIN. Post offices coming under Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication, Government of India have a history of one hundred fifty years. Private courier and delivery services often have offices as well, although these are usually not called "post offices", except in the case of Germany , which has fully privatised its national postal system . As abbreviation PO

689-493: Is important because of its aesthetic significance. The place is important in exhibiting a range of aesthetic characteristics valued by the community, in particular the contribution of the buildings and grounds, through siting, scale, form and planting, to the Victoria Street streetscape and Cardwell townscape and the intactness, in particular the plan, form and interiors of this timber and iron building. The place has

742-464: Is instead known as a sorting office or delivery office, which may have a large central area known as a sorting or postal hall. Integrated facilities combining mail processing with railway stations or airports are known as mail exchanges. In India , post offices are found in almost every village having panchayat (a "village council"), towns, cities, and throughout the geographical area of India. India's postal system changed its name to India Post after

795-554: Is one of the oldest timber buildings, in North Queensland The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The configuration of the building with its four-room core and detached kitchen block and roof form demonstrates the principal characteristics of a common telegraph/post office building design type, used from c.  1869 – c.  1885 and of an 1860s-1870s government building. The place

848-406: Is to the west of the building, and a mango tree is at the south of the site. The property has a timber post and rail fence with wire infill to both street frontages. A weatherboard toilet is located to the south, and a timber tankstand with concrete stumps is located to the northwest, of the kitchen house. A Telstra Substation adjoins the southwest boundary. The former Cardwell Post Office (now

901-433: Is used, together with GPO for General Post Office and LPO for Licensed Post Office. There is evidence of corps of royal couriers disseminating the decrees of Egyptian pharaohs as early as 2400   BCE, and it is possible that the service greatly precedes that date. Similarly, there may be ancient organised systems of post houses providing mounted courier service, although sources vary as to precisely who initiated

954-554: The "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014). Post office Before the advent of postal codes and the post office, postal systems would route items to a specific post office for receipt or delivery. During the 19th century in the United States , this often led to smaller communities being renamed after their post offices, particularly after

1007-573: The Gulf of Carpentaria . The telegraph line reached Cardwell in December 1869. Tenders were called for the erection of a telegraph office in Cardwell in October 1869. The telegraph line reached the town on 29 December 1869 and five days later the telegraph office opened in 1870. A combined post and telegraph office was established soon after, and the majority of Post Masters from 1870–1893 were employees of

1060-552: The Holy Roman Empire . The British Postal Museum claims that the oldest functioning post office in the world is on High Street in Sanquhar , Scotland . The post office has functioned continuously since 1712, during which horses and stagecoaches were used to carry mail. Rural parts of Canada in the 19th century utilised the way office system. Villagers could leave their letters at the way office which were then taken to

1113-498: The National Archives of Australia yielded original specifications, plans, documents describing repairs and requirements and requests from staff for new chairs and a new clock, for example, allowing a good picture to be developed of the original construction of the building as well as changes it underwent through time. For example, originally it had a shingled roof and was set on low stumps with no ant caps but in response to

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1166-579: The Pack-Station for package delivery , including both drop-off and pickup, in 2001. In the 2000s, the United States Postal Service began to install Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in many locations in both post offices, for when they are closed or busy, and retail locations. APCs can print postage and accept mail and small packages. Gilberton, Queensland (Etheridge Shire) Download coordinates as: Gilberton

1219-751: The Post Office Department began to require that post office names not be duplicated within a state . The term "post-office" has been in use since the 1650s, shortly after the legalisation of private mail services in England in 1635. In early modern England, post riders — mounted couriers —were placed, or "posted", every few hours along post roads at posting houses (also known as post houses) between major cities, or " post towns ". These stables or inns permitted important correspondence to travel without delay. In early America, post offices were also known as stations. This term, as well as

1272-412: The 1890s. Renovation of the building in 1897 included the replacement of some floorboards and restumping the building on higher stumps with ant caps. A chimney and fireplace erected as part of the original building were removed. The verandahs were progressively enclosed to include a bedroom, bathroom, and extension of the office. The original detached kitchen appears to have been demolished and replaced by

1325-477: The 2000 A.D., post offices would collect fees for radio licenses, recruitment for government jobs, and the operation of public call telephone (PCO) booths. Postmen would deliver letters, money orders, and parcels to places that are within the assigned area of a particular post office. Each Indian post office is assigned a unique six-digit code called the Postal Index Number , or PIN. Each post office

1378-583: The Cardwell Bush Telegraph heritage centre) was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. It is important in demonstrating the evolution and pattern of Queensland's history in particular the establishment of Cardwell, initially as the port for North Queensland, and

1431-595: The Colonial Works office, the Superintendent of Roads and Buildings at the time was Charles Tiffin . The contract for the building was let to George McCallum of Brisbane . Records indicate that the building was prefabricated in Brisbane and shipped to Cardwell, where it was erected on the present site. It is considered to be one of the earliest examples of prefabricated post office buildings, reflecting

1484-601: The Electric Telegraph Department. The configuration of the building with four core rooms and detached kitchen was the most common form of timber telegraph/post office buildings in the nineteenth century. The Cardwell office appears to have been the first of approximately thirty buildings erected in this form during the period 1869–1885. Tenders had been called in September 1869 for the erection of telegraph lines from Cardwell to Gilberton and then to

1537-633: The Gulf of Carpentaria, and the two sections were completed in 1871 and 1872 respectively. However, in 1872, the overseas cable was connected to the Australian Overland Telegraph line at Darwin and not via the Gulf of Carpentaria. So the main purpose for which the Cardwell Telegraph Office and telegraph lines were built did not in fact materialise. Nonetheless the telegraph line from Cardwell successfully served

1590-713: The National Estate of the Australian Heritage Commission . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It is located on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Balliol Street at the southern end of the town and is immediately adjacent to the also heritage-listed Cardwell Divisional Board Hall . This single storeyed timber building was erected in 1870 as the Telegraph Office in Cardwell. Designed by

1643-580: The advent of private courier companies in the 1990s. It is run by the Indian government's Department of Posts. India Post accepts and delivers inland letters, postcards, parcels, postal stamps, and money orders (money transfers). Few post offices in India offer speed post (fast delivery) and payments or bank savings services. It is also uncommon for Indian post offices to sell insurance policies or accept payment for electricity, landline telephone, or gas bills. Until

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1696-428: The development of North Queensland , as it had a deep, sheltered harbour and was expected to develop into a significant regional town. A substantial government infrastructure was established in Cardwell, including a pilot's quarters, police barracks and lockup, court and customs house, post magistrate's residence, sub-collector's residence, lands office, and telegraph station, which reflected this enthusiasm. A Post Office

1749-538: The east of the locality. There are a number of named peaks, from north to south: The name Gilberton comes from the Gilbert River, which in turn was named by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt on 12 July 1845, after his expedition member John Gilbert who was killed near the Carpentaria coast on 28 June 1845. In the 2016 census , the locality of Gilberton had a population of 4 people. In the 2021 census ,

1802-524: The expansion of telegraphic communication in Queensland. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. It demonstrates rare aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage, in particular, it is one of the oldest and one of the few extant telegraph/post office buildings erected c.  1869 – c.  1885 The former post office is one of few remaining prefabricated telegraph/post office buildings, and

1855-422: The expansion of the telegraph service in Queensland. The extension of a telegraph line from Bowen to the Gulf of Carpentaria was considered desirable for two main reasons; to serve the settlers in the area, and there was the possibility of joining the proposed overseas cable from Java . The Queensland Government hoped the connecting cable linking Australian to Asia and then to Europe would enter Australia through

1908-549: The harbour and the hinterland was obstructed by the mountain range to the west of the town. Townsville became the principal access point for inland travel, and rapidly bypassed Cardwell in growth and development. The design of the building required adaptation to suit the tropical climatic conditions. The timber shingles on the roof rotted, and by 1890 had been covered with iron. In 1904 the shingles were removed and iron roof replaced. The building had been constructed on low stumps without ant caps, and had been infested with termites by

1961-517: The history of the port of Cardwell, the Cardwell-Normanton telegraph line was a lifeline for the isolated people of this region. It provided contact with the rest of the world and encouraged development of the area. Of the precinct of buildings established in Cardwell's government reserve, as at 2016, only theTelegraph Office remains intact. The original courthouse was demolished following a cyclone, but its 1890s replacement, constructed on

2014-440: The inside face of the two northeast rooms. Internal walls have vertical boarding and tie rods have been inserted connecting the top plates of opposite walls. Ceilings are boarded, with the outer edge being raked to the walls. Doors are timber panelled, with the front and back doors having glass fanlights. The northern room was used as the post office and retains some early timber fixtures including shelving and drawers. This room has

2067-499: The nearest post office, as well as pick up their mail from the way office. In parts of Europe, special postal censorship offices existed to intercept and censor mail. In France, such offices were known as cabinets noirs . In many jurisdictions, mailboxes and post office boxes have long been in widespread use for drop-off and pickup (respectively) of mail and small packages outside post offices or when offices are closed. Germany's national postage system Deutsche Post introduced

2120-483: The need to erect substantial Government buildings in remote settlements where structures were otherwise relatively unsophisticated. Cardwell was settled in 1864, the first port settlement on the Queensland coast north of Port Denison ( Bowen ). The first party of non-indigenous people to settle at Rockingham Bay arrived in January 1864. They were 20 in number and they came from Bowen on the small schooner Policeman with

2173-660: The northern side of the Gilbert River is the site of the Corbett store. The Gilbert River flows from the south-east to the north-west of the locality and then travels northward towards its mouth at the Gulf of Carpentaria . Gilberton Station neighbors Rungullla National Park . The terrain is mountainous with the Newcastle Range in the north-east of the locality and Gilbert Range ( 19°20′00″S 144°02′00″E  /  19.3333°S 144.0333°E  / -19.3333; 144.0333  ( Gilbert Range ) ) in

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2226-602: The other providing sturdy oxen for bulk shipments. The Byzantine historian Procopius , though not unbiased, records the Cursus Publicus system remained largely intact until it was dismantled in the Byzantine empire by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis family initiated regular mail service from Brussels in the 16th century , directing the Imperial Post of

2279-436: The post and telegraph office. At that time, Cardwell was regarded as the major town in the division (as reflected in the division's name). The Cardwell post and telegraph office was made an official post office in 1893, as part of a statewide move to make official all post offices at telegraph offices. Despite all expectations, the port of Cardwell never developed into an important port for North Queensland, as access between

2332-1136: The practice. In the Persian Empire , a Chapar Khaneh system existed along the Royal Road . Similar postage systems were established in India and China by the Mauryan and Han dynasties in the 2nd century BCE. The Roman historian Suetonius credited Augustus with regularising the Roman transportation and courier network, the Cursus Publicus . Local officials were obliged to provide couriers who would be responsible for their message's entire course. Locally maintained post houses ( Latin : stationes ) privately owned rest houses ( Latin : mansiones ) and were obliged or honored to care for couriers along their way. The Roman emperor Diocletian later established two parallel systems: one providing fresh horses or mules for urgent correspondence and

2385-769: The settlers in the Gulf region. The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland to administer local government under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 . On 18 January 1884, part of the Hinchinbrook Division was separated to create the new Cardwell Division . In 1892, the Cardwell Divisional Board built the Cardwell Divisional Board Hall (also now heritage-listed) at 51 Victoria Street, next door to

2438-413: The stage area fortunately being retained within the rebuilt hall. The resulting historic precinct presents a fine example of the workings and economics of colonial administration over a large thinly populated area, and the nineteenth century technology that coped with it. The Telegraph Office building itself is also fascinating because of the depth of information preserved. Queensland State Archives and

2491-495: The telegraph line in his sector. Often it was his wife as Postmistress and telegraph operator, who ran the office while her husband was away checking the line. The post office was made an unofficial post office in 1966, and sold by the Australian Government in 1967. It was acquired by Mr Bill Wilson, a former Cardwell Post Master, and it continued to serve as an unofficial post office until c.  1983 when

2544-426: The telegraph line race between Queensland and South Australia . In the courthouse, the workings of local justice are displayed while the lock-up next door provides a firm reminder of the pioneering days of the north. Across Balliol Street the new Cardwell Library, built in 2007–2008, can be visited for more information on the local history. Next to the library, which is also a Cassowary Coast Customer Service Centre,

2597-438: The term "post house", fell from use as horse and coach services were replaced by railways , aircraft , and automobiles . The term "post office" usually refers to government postal facilities providing customer service. " General Post Office " is sometimes used for the national headquarters of a postal service, even if the building does not provide customer service. A postal facility that is used exclusively for processing mail

2650-568: The three ton cutter Heather Bell in tow. The Cardwell town reserve was proclaimed in July 1864 to serve the grazing properties inland, particularly the Valley of Lagoons district which was expected to become a rich pastoral district. Indeed, the Valley of Lagoons Station established in 1862 was part-owned by the then Queensland Premier Robert Herbert . Cardwell was settled with a great deal of confidence and Government support for its future role in

2703-449: The tropical climate, including cyclones and seasonal heavy rain, and white ants, the roof was replaced with iron and the building was lifted onto higher stumps with ant caps fitted. Visitors to this heritage centre can view the original postal room with its old telephone exchange and 1870s counter and check out the old weather station instruments. A message can be sent by Morse code and an interactive display demonstrates Cardwell's role in

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2756-535: Was opened in Cardwell in 1864, the first Post Master also officiating as the District Registrar, Sub Collector of Customs, Clerk of Petty Sessions and Harbour Master. The telegraph office and the police station were among a group of government buildings erected on Section 42 of the town reserve, also referred to as the Government reserve. The erection of a telegraph office in Cardwell coincided with

2809-470: Was refurbished, conserved, branded "Cardwell Bush Telegraph", and re-opened as a heritage centre on 28 February 2003. The heritage precinct also includes the former court house and jail, an area designated as a government reserve for much of the township's history. The precinct welcomes visitors and showcases the history of Cardwell and its significance to the surrounding area. It was listed on the Register of

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