The Broken Hill Post Office
In 1885 Walter Sully, storekeeper in the Barrier Ranges, conducted a postal service in his store pending construction of a post office. On January 1, 1886, Broken Hill's first official post office was established with Mrs J. O. Renowden as postmistress at a salary of ten pounds a year.
One of the most imposing buildings in Broken Hill is also one of the oldest-the Broken Hill Post Office. The Post Office was one of the first government organisations to become established here.
The Broken Hill Post Office has come a long way since Mrs Renowden's day. Many thousands of articles now go through the three major Broken Hill Post Offices each day.
In addition there is a multitude of mail from the small suburban post offices. There is also considerable traffic from post offices in outlying parts of the district.
Moves for the construction of the present post office in Argent Street started in 1889. The tender of John Dobbie of Balmain was accepted for the erection of the new post office. Construction began in 1890, but was held up because of the 1890 strike.
In 1891 work was then proceeding on the construction of the new post office at the corner of Argent and Chloride Streets.
In 1892 the new post office (with provisional made for the installation of a town clock in the tower at a later stage) was opened in April, when all letters boxes were transferred from the old site adjoining the Grand Hotel.
In 1900 an order was placed for the manufacture of a clock for the tower.
On January 30, 1902, the clock was installed in the post office tower. The Mayor at that time, Alderman Jackson, officiated at the ceremony, together with the contractor, R. B. Smith and a number of citizens. The 5'6" dials were cast locally at Hooper's foundry and, for an extra cost of 30 pounds it was also arranged for the bell to strike at half-hourly intervals. But almost from the inception, the post office clock developed mechanical problems which were to plague the postal authorities and frustrate the citizens for generations to come.
In 1906, the post office clock was illuminated, one dial of which 'could be read from the Central Reserve with ease'.
The building remained unchanged until 1949-1950 when the interior was redesigned and rebuilt. Since then the Post Office has been in good condition, and if any testimony is needed to the work and the subsequent care of the building by the PMG Department, (today it is known as Australia Post) it was given in 1963 when the building won a certificate of merit in a historic buildings competition.
The first telephone exchange in Broken Hill was opened in February 1891, and the first No 1 was that of the BHP. Later the telephone exchange section in Argent Street was added, and in more recent years the automatic telephone section in Chloride Street.
Suburban Post Offices
South Post Office
The South Broken Hill Post Office was established in the very early days of the city. It was a small wood and iron structure and was described in a journal of the day in 1891 as "four feet square and a humiliation to the 5,000 people of South Broken Hill". The present brick building at the South was built in 1889. The South Post Office closed in September 30,1993.
Railwaytown Post Office
Barrier Miner April 5, 1893: Railwaytown Post Office under the same roof as the Gasworks Hotel in Mercury Street. In 1900 a decision was made to construct a new building at Railwaytown and the foundation stone was laid in May by Hon W. E. O'Sullivan, Minister for Works.
BDT December 27, 1915: Post Office site Railwaytown.
The surveyor and inspector of the Western Land Board (Mr J. Granter) wrote to the City Council on Thursday night as follows:
The Commonwealth Government has applied to the Western Land Board for a site for post office at the corner of Blende and Gypsum Streets, that piece of land granted as a permissive occupancy to the Council as an additional area to the Burke Ward
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