In March 1886, the opening of the lavish new post office building merged within the bristling prosperity of Walhalla. Standing grandly amid a cluster of prominent premises such as the Empire Hotel, the Roman Catholic Church, the Bank of Australasia, the Bank of Victoria and the Mechanics Institute, the event was celebrated “without any demonstration whatsoever.” The Walhalla Chronicle claimed: “With the exception of a decided improvement in the Postmaster’s quarters, the convenience of the public, as far regards the delivery of letters, etc has not been improved.”

Regardless, the service was soon rated as the third most influential in the entire region of Gippsland. As word of an overseas mail despatch spread, an anxious crowd gathered in anticipation of news from their homeland.

Fires and Floods

Miraculously, the building was spared in 1888, when a flickering candle in a drapery store caught onto some straw hats and erupted into a disastrous fire which razed much of the township. During the “Great Flood” of 1891, when the creek behind banked up to a depth of ten feet and a swirling torrent circled the structure, it survived relatively intact. Four men were swept to their deaths.

Throughout the raging bushfires that surrounded Walhalla in 1939, postmistress Doreen Hannan stoically refused to abandon her post operating the telephone system. In 1945, during a burn off of blackberries the fire escaped control, razing all in its path as it raced towards the post office. Defeated by the furious blaze of the nearby Roman Catholic Church, the frantic efforts of a handful of local men managed to save the post office building.

The Residence

A dividing door separated the rear residential rooms from the front public area. Although officially downgraded in 1918, the post office site survived the demolition fate of many public buildings. In accordance with government policy of employing only single women, in 1923 after five years as postmistress, Frances Seymour was forced to resign and vacate the premises when she married town clerk Henry Sabine. The same rule applied to her successor Eileen Meehan who in 1927 married local policeman Ossie Clemann. Upon her departure the Morse code operation was discontinued.

Doreen Hannan (1903-1988)

The long standing association of Doreen Hannan as postmistress lasted from 1928 until 1963. Following the death of her mother in 1948, “Miss Hannan” purchased the property freehold from the Commonwealth. After a term of 35 years, her resignation saw the agency transferred elsewhere in Walhalla.

As part of her estate after she died in 1988, the deteriorated premises was offered for auction, but due to historic relevance, it was compulsorily withdrawn and acquired as a public asset. It has since been listed on the National Estate and the Victorian Heritage Registers. The wallpapers throughout have been classified as highly significant. The exact future for the building remains to be determined.  The Board is working towards finding a suitable tenant, who will ensure the building is open to the public, yet preserved in keeping with its great significance.