The first full-time postmaster in Brisbane was J. E. Barney, appointed in 1852.[1] In 1862, Thomas Lodge Murray Prior became the first Postmaster-General for the state of Queensland. Initially, postal services operated from a small convict-era building, which was inconveniently distant from the telegraph office. The Postmaster-General selected a centrally located half-hectare site for the new post office.[1]
The GPO in 1931
The building previously located at the Queen Street site, which once housed women convicts, was demolished in 1871.[1]
Freestone and bricks were sourced locally for the construction. The GPO officially opened on 28 September 1872. In 1873, the Queensland Museum was housed in the General Post Office building until it moved to the William Street building in 1879. That same year, a second wing constructed by John Petrie was completed, allowing the telegraph office to relocate to the GPO, much to the satisfaction of business customers
The building features deep verandahs and high ceilings. A clock mounted in the pediment above the main entrance was once illuminated by a gas-powered light, later replaced by a smaller electric clock.[1] In 1892, the first typewriter used in any Australian post office was introduced at the GPO.[1] Stamps and money orders were once available to customers through windows outside the building, which are now closed.[1]
^ abcdefGregory, Helen; Dianne Mclay (2010). Building Brisbane's History: Structure, Sculptures, Stories and Secrets. Warriewood, New South Wales: Woodslane Press. pp. 68–72. ISBN9781921606199.
