Jenny Pollard, The Buloke Times

On a day when the celebration of recording history was being highlighted at one end of Charlton, the demise of a significant town landmark at the other end was making history when a late morning fire destroyed the Charlton Post Office.

At the time of writing, it is believed that the fire may have been caused by a washing machine exploding, with the nearby baker hearing a loud bang late on Sunday morning.  Post Office owner, Russell King, was not at home at the time of the incident.

Numerous fire appliances attended as the fire took hold of the High Street premises, with the highway closed to southbound traffic at Armstrong Street. Diversions were set up to allow for the continued flow of vehicles – a job made more challenging with many grain trucks on the road with harvest underway.

While the Post Office’s brickwork façade and walls remained upright, the building’s roof had collapsed and internal damage to the front section of the building was clearly visible from the street. Fire fighters were still training hoses across the façade at around 1 p.m..

Later in the afternoon the ladder platform and heavy pumper from Bendigo were continuing to provide fire suppression with the mechanized extension ladder and hose raised high above the building.

Shocked residents lined the main street with the mood sombre and disbelieving. Many said this was a sad day for Charlton. With the last day of trading for retail business House to Home, and despite the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Charlton Golden Grains Museum, a pall hung over the community with the unfolding of this incident.

The current Post Office is located on the High Street site of the original Charlton postal service, which opened in 1879. Over the years the building has undergone a variety of renovations and changes with a significant upgrade in 1961.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 21 November 2023.