Editing Australia Post (section)

=== Colonial Australia (pre–1901) ===
[[File:The Postmen of New South Wales, Supplement to the Illustrated Sydney News 15th December 1887.jpg|thumb|''The Postmen of New South Wales'' (1887)]]
Before colonial control of mail started in 1809, mail was usually passed on by ad hoc arrangements made between transporters, storekeepers and settlers. These arrangements were flexible, and inherently unstable. It was common for early settlers to ride many miles out of their way to deliver neighbours' mail that had been collected from informal distribution points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs50.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018044257/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs50.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2011|title=Post Office records – Fact sheet 50|publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]]|date=5 April 2011|access-date=30 January 2016}}</ref>

The first organisation of a postal service in Australia commenced in 1809 with the appointment in [[Sydney]] of the first [[Postmaster-General of New South Wales|postmaster]]. An English ex-convict, [[Isaac Nichols]], took the post operating from his home in [[George Street, Sydney]]. His main job was to take charge of letters and parcels arriving by ship, to avoid the chaos of people rushing aboard ships as soon as they arrived at Sydney's wharves. Nichols would pick up the mail and post a list of recipients outside his house.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.auspost.com.au/priority/index.asp?issue_id=3&area=features&article_id=25|title=Cads Of The Cove|website=Priority Magazine Issue 3|publisher=Australia Post|date=October 1998|access-date=30 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002024325/http://www1.auspost.com.au/priority/index.asp?issue_id=3&area=features&article_id=25|archive-date=2 October 2009}}</ref> He would advertise in the ''[[Sydney Gazette]]'' the names of all those who received mail. Recipients paid a fixed price of one shilling per letter to collect mail from Nichols' home, with parcels costing more depending on how heavy they were. VIP addressees were afforded personal delivery by Nichols.<ref name="auspost">{{cite web|url=http://auspost.com.au/education/ourpost/students/our-post/timeline.html|title=Australia Post Our post – Primary, our past|publisher=Australia Post|access-date=30 January 2016|archive-date=22 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122060519/http://auspost.com.au/education/ourpost/students/our-post/timeline.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Between 1812 and 1842, postmasters were also appointed in [[Tasmania]] (1812), [[Western Australia]] (1829), [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] (1836), [[South Australia ]](1837) and [[Queensland]] (1842). Settlements outside of the postmasters' domain were serviced by contractors on horsebacks or in coaches.<ref>{{Cite web|title=First post office|url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/first-post-office|access-date=3 September 2020|website=[[National Museum of Australia]]}}</ref>

In 1825, the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]] passed the ''Postal Act'' which transferred responsibility from Nichols, acting as a private company, to the [[Governor of New South Wales|governor]]. The governor would then set the wage of the postmaster and the cost of collecting mail.