Old Post Office

The Old Post Office was once a vital link with the outside world for residents of Jarrahdale.

Historical information

The building was first built as a Telegraph Office in 1880, after the new telegraph line was run up from Bunbury Road. In 1882 it became a Post Office as well, and Mr J Stokes was appointed Postmaster.

“The post and telegraph department do a good business at Jarrahdale; about 950 letters and 250 newspapers pass through the post office per month; about 120 telegrams are sent out, and 100 received per month.” The Herald, 1 November 1884, quoted in Coy, The Serpentine: A history of the Shire of Serpentine–Jarrahdale, p. 107.

It remained a Post and Telegraph Office until 1930, after which it was a non-official Post Office until 1972.

It is now the headquarters for the Jarrahdale Heritage Society and serves as a museum and information centre, hosting local information, historical artefacts and displays.

 

Physical description

The Old Post Office, overlooking Gooralong Brook, is a symmetrical single-storey building, with Victorian Georgian features including a high-pitched, hopped, broken-back roof that forms a front verandah. There is a prominent central brick chimney. Internal surfaces are plaster on timber lathe, and the windows are double hung. Two minor outbuildings are approximate the same age.

Present day

In its early decades of life, the Old Post Office’s role of sending and receiving post, telegrams and newspapers rendered it a vital organ of the district. It was also one of the first public buildings erected in the town and was the first such building built at the western entrance.

Further reading and references

Coy, N. J. (1984). The Serpentine: A history of the Shire of Serpentine–Jarrahdale (p. 107). Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale.

Jarrahdale Heritage Society. (n.d.). Old Post Office Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2026.