Australia Post is working to establish ongoing arrangements for its Post Office in Narrandera and is grateful to locals for their patience and understanding.

The issue that caused the closure of the old building in East Street was surface-level lead contaminants (rather than asbestos) in a back-room area.

“We continue to explore options and will update the community as soon as there is more news to share. In the meantime, customers can continue to access a full range of services – including banking and bill payments – from our temporary Post Office at 92 Audley Street,” an Australia Post spokesperson said.

The old Narrandera Post Office building on the corner of East and Twynam Streets closed in December last year when lead contamination was identified in one of the back-of-house rooms during a routine check of the building.

The Australia Post spokesperson said following health advice, the post office was closed as a precautionary measure and Australia Post obtained a demountable building for use as a temporary post office.

Lead contamination is often caused by lead-based paint, which was commonly used on houses built before 1970. Lead dust can also be from industrial and domestic sources in soil and in roof and wall cavities.

The Post Office building in East Street is one of Narrandera’s historical buildings. In 1897, the Government purchased, through an Act of Parliament, the land belonging to the Catholic Church on the corner of Twynam and East Streets, which had improvements of a church and school.

After much public agitation, the construction of a post office finally began in early 1900, with Mr R L Thompson winning the building tender. A memorial stone was laid in July 1900 by the Minister for Public Works the Hon E W O’Sullivan and the completed Post and Telegraph office opened in December 1900.

The existing two-storey red brick building was designed by the Government Architect Office in a Queen Anne style with portico at the entry and covered verandah over the private post boxes. The ground floor featured separate postal and telegraph departments, while the first floor was a residence for the postmaster.

Australia Post is also expanding its commitment to regional Australia with a major infrastructure investment across NSW, announcing the development of six new greenfield sites.

As part of this regional expansion the brownfield site was secured in Narrandera and further brownfield sites in Cooma and Ballina are in lease negotiations.

A brownfield site is described as land that has previously been developed, often for industrial or commercial purposes and is now either underutilized or abandoned. These sites may be contaminated with hazardous substances or pollutants from past activities.

Meanwhile construction has already commenced on a new facility at Tumut scheduled to open in late 2025. Other new sites are being constructed in Leeton, Casino, Deniliquin, Forbes and Byron Bay.

The new Australia Post purpose-built facilities are designed to boost parcel processing capability – handling between 900 parcels to 2200 parcels per day – and enhance service across rural and regional communities as well as improving operational safety and efficiency.

Sustainability is a key focus of the expansion, with all sites featuring 50kW rooftop solar power generation, and a number also investing in rainwater harvesting and EV charging capability.

The details and timelines for each of these new sites are as follows:

• Tumut: Construction has commenced on the 600m2 site, with plans to open in late 2025.
• Leeton: Construction on the 1105m2 site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening towards the end of that year.
• Casino: Construction on the 1350m2 site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening towards the end of that year.
• Deniliquin: Construction on the 1335m2 site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening towards the end of that year.
• Forbes: Construction on the 1796m2 site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening towards the end of that year.
• Byron Bay: Construction on the 3072m2 site will begin in mid-2026, with the site expected to open by mid-2027. 

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 29 May 2025.