Gatton.

Gatton is located in the Lockyer Valley between Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was allocated 55 in the Numeral Allocations. The Post Office was opened on 28 April 1861 with Mr H. Challis in charge. It was only opened for line repairing purposes and was subsequently closed on 31 December 1862 and Mr. Challis was transferred to Drayton.

It appears that the Gratton Telegraph Office was opened in March or April 1865. The 1866 Report from the Superintendent on 1865 shows that in April 1965, only 9 messages were paid for with nothing before that date. There was, in addition, one paid OHMS message.

A steel oval Electric Telegraph Office was issued to Gatton. It was type 3A-BO7-ETO.

Used in black: ??

Size: 26 × 44 mm (e = 0.81).

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

Roma Street Railway Station.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 3 March 1871 in premises which are presently unknown. Until 1888, the only employee was the Operator although, by 1888, two messengers had also been employed.

The Post Office was built on land valued at the time at £800. The construction cost £2,025 and it opened to the public in May 1887. Mr . Charles Slaughter was the Postmaster with an annual salary of £40. In 1888, he had a staff of 3 (Telegraph Operator and two messengers - so no postal staff to begin with) and this number grew over the years to 13.

Sandgate had been surveyed in 1852 with the first land sold there in 1853. Cobb & Co coaches ran the Brisbane-Sandgate route meeting at the German Station (Nundah). The coaches were put up at the Sandgate Hotel facing the Upper Esplanade.

For details of early Sandgate, see Stevens (1956).

The Sandgate Post & Telegraph Office, unusually built from masonry, which opened in May 1887.

The building is now 4017 Bar and Grill. The owners respect their heritage and have a website recounting the heritage.

Toowong.

The Telegraph Office was opened on

Toowong postal date stamp.

Used on AW-DO-9Eb.

Wooloongabba.

The Telegraph Office was opened in 1877 in rented premises. A new building was opened in November 1905 after the proposal had been agreed to in 1901. The site had been previously owned by the Wesleyan Methodist Church

This structure was one of only five masonry post offices constructed in Queensland between 1900 and 1910 - the others being at Ipswich (1900), Stanthorpe (1901), Cairns (1906) and Mount Morgan (1910).

The 1905 Wooloongabba Post & Telegraph Office.

This building was closed in 1994 although some parts continued to be used by Australia Post for some time.

It appears that no special date stamp was prepared either for Post Office or for the Telegraph Office of this famous cricket ground.

A rubber oval date stamp is however known for Wooloongabba which might have had priority for telegraph use:

Used in blue: 28 February 1903.

Size: 22 × 30 mm (e = 0.68).

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

The format is very similar to that used for Mackay and the dates are close.

28 February 1903.
Used on block of 4 of the 1/- violet
possibly paying a 4/- telegram charge.

Wooloowin.

The Telegraph Office

A 4/- franking of these two 1882 2/- blue Chalons would have paid for an 18 word message to Victoria. There is no date or form however to indicate when the date stamp was applied or why.

Provenance: Dave Elsmore.