Darlington Post Office up for sale

AFTER more than a decade, post mistress Donelle Wallis is moving on, putting a for sale sign up outside the historic Darlington Post Office.

Ms Wallis said the post office was an important hub in the Hills village since opening its doors in 1906.

“When I moved in it was a residence with shire permission to run a business from and this had been the case since the 1920s,” she said.

“Now the building is commercial and you can run business within the space but as there is an existing residence, I have the best of both worlds.”

Ms Wallis said the time was right to move on and allow someone new to take over the business.

“It is a great little business and it never feels like hard work,” she said.

Ms Wallis said the post office had a rich and intriguing history.

“When I first took over the post office I went to the Perth Archives to see what I could learn about the history and there was one interesting repeating theme,” she said.

“When it first opened it was housed inside the general store across from the train station and was accompanied by the local switchboard for phone calls.

“It seems the switchboard was a nuisance to run but did earn 30 pounds a year.

“Darlington residents would pick up the switchboard and set it up in someone’s home where they could earn the income, but it never stayed put for long and was picked up and moved to the next house.

“The postmaster general would visit the area regularly but always had trouble locating the whereabouts of the telephone switchboard and would be sent on a wild goose chase all over Darlington trying to locate its whereabouts; his frustration is clearly visible in his reports.”

For more information on the property sale, contact Cambell Giles on 0418 936 544.

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