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Letter and parcel lodgement points

There are various ways to mail letters and parcels.

Mail (letters and parcels) can be lodged at more than 4,000 Australia Post retail outlets or at more than 10,000 street posting boxes.

Some letters and many parcels need to be lodged over the counter at our retail outlets. This may be due to the larger size of the letter or parcel, its destination (e.g. international) and security and customs conditions.

Our commitment is to make posting facilities easily accessible and to meet reasonable levels of local community demand.

Street posting boxes are provided at locations where an acceptable level of usage is known or anticipated, including shopping centres, public transport points, hospitals and retirement villages.

However, sometimes usage of a box may fall away and it then becomes necessary to balance the costs of clearing and maintaining the box against the reduced benefit provided. In those cases, if usage of a box falls below 25 articles per day, the box may be relocated or removed after consultation with the community and the relevant local member of Federal Parliament.

Posting times

Australia Post wants to get your mail moving to its final destination on the very same day it’s posted.

To ensure this high level of service, your latest posting time is generally 6pm Monday to Friday in metropolitan areas and large rural cities and towns.

Other times may apply in some rural or regional centres, particularly in isolated areas. This is because we often rely on commercial services (planes, ferries etc) to transport the mail and therefore have no control over departure and arrival schedules.

To help you with your mailing, posting times are displayed on street post boxes.

Delivery timetable

Australia Post’s delivery standards are shown in the table below. These standards apply to all letters posted by the latest posting time.

*Note: Our standard delivery timetables are available at all retail outlets.
**Towns which share adjacent boundaries (e.g. Albury/Wodonga; Canberra/Queanbeyan) will receive deliveries on the next business day.

Australia Post is required to deliver 94 per cent of domestic letters on time, based on an independent audit. We often exceed this target.

Stamp purchases

Stamps are widely available in metropolitan, rural and remote areas.

Australia Post is required to maintain at least 4,000 postal outlets (including 2,500 in rural and remote areas) to offer stamps and postage assessment. A limited range of stamps is also available from our network of licensed stamp vendors, vending machines and postpoints, typically located in newsagencies, milk bars or other shops. Stamps are also available through private mail bags.

Delivery services

Australia Post delivers to street, roadside, post office and post office box addresses.

The delivery of mail is provided as part of the cost of postage. The only additional delivery cost for customers is an annual fee to have their mail delivered to a post office box or private bag.

In view of the social importance of the letter service and our CSO’s, Australia Post will continue to make the basic letter service available to all Australians on an equitable basis. Our aim is to deliver to the property, where possible, taking into consideration a range of factors, including availability of local transport, delivery costs and customer preference.

Where delivery of mail to the property is not provided, mail can be collected from the nearest postal outlet either at the counter or from a post office box provided at a concessional rate.

When we establish a new delivery service, or propose changes to an existing one, our policy is to consult directly with affected local communities.

Delivery frequency

Australia Post’s delivery frequency standard to street letterboxes, post office boxes and postal outlets is Monday to Friday, five times a week (holidays excepted).

To regional or rural numbered addresses, the standard is mostly five times a week, but can be between two and four times depending on the cost and community need.

You can contact the customer relations centre (see contact details) to discuss delivery frequency arrangements in your community.

Basic letter price

The cost of postage for the basic letter (small, standard-sized items), delivered from anywhere to anywhere in Australia, is currently 55 cents.

Australia Post must notify the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of any proposed change to reserved letter services. Prior to finalising any pricing proposal, Australia Post consults with key stakeholders to ensure there is broad understanding of the business case for change.

Other services

Through our network of postal outlets, we offer a range of packaging, bill payment and agency banking services.

We also act on behalf of other organisations to process applications, view documents and complete identification checks (e.g. passport applications).

Our postal outlets are conveniently located, suitably equipped and professionally staffed to ensure that our customer service is of the high quality you expect.

Disclaimer: Products and services in postal outlets may vary in response to local demand and other local service availability.