Postal History
Another aspect of Queensland that I love collecting is the Postal History of the state. Queensland abounds in Postal History subjects from the postmarks, numeral cancellations, instructional markings, registration, rates and routes etc The tracking of the opening and closing of the Post Offices mirrors the developing history of Queensland. The opening of Port Denison, renamed Bowen is linked to the pioneering work of George Dalrymple, which then explains how the town of Dalrymple and various other namesakes came about. Similarly researching the history of Richard Daintree we find links to the town of Daintree and the Daintree River (I am sure he never thought that his name would be as well known as it is today).

Figure 10

Figure 10.

Sometimes an old cover may fill another part of the jigsaw. Such as when I was reading Glenville Pike’s “Pioneer’s Country” and the history of mining towns such as Irvinebank and Montalbion (later Mount Albion) in the far north and reference was made to John Atherton who lived at Emerald End for 26 years, and after whom the town of Atherton and the Atherton Tablelands were named. Rediscovering an old tatty front I had with the scarce two lined Registered Mont Albion handstamp, I found to my great delight that it was addressed to “Mrs John Atherton of Emerald End”. Another link with history. Just looking at that front takes me back to the early 1900’s and the bullock drays and miners dreaming of a fortune in the Queensland jungles.

Figure 11

Figure 11.

The first item is a previously unrecorded two lined handstamp “Registered/ Port Denison”. The Port Denison Post Office opened on 1 April 1861 and the name was changed to Bowen in 1865. Not only is the office unrecorded with the instructional handstamp, but the actual size of the letters indicates a previously unidentified smaller type than that previously recorded. The previous Type 1 was identified as being 32 to 41mm in length and 3_ to 5mm in height. The example shown is 30mm in length and 3mm in height. Only one other example is known, being for the Banana post office.

The second item is a cover from Dalrymple to Canberra sent October 2, 1883 and showing the cds of Dalrymple and tieing the office to the numeral “40. The BURDEKIN Post Office was opened on April 1, 1864 and the name was changed to DALRYMPLE in 1868. The Office closed December 21, 1887

The stamp is cancelled by numeral 367 (rated 4R), which was allocated to Daintree. The DAINTREE Post Office was opened on January 1, 1884 and closed in October 1907.

Figure 12

Figure 12.

Collecting “rates and routes” is a popular past time for postal historians. Displayed are two such covers. One is an example of the short term “Panama Route” which operated from the 23rd May 1867 until it was discontinued in January 1869. The cover was sent on June 27, 1867 from Brisbane to Scotland. The rate was an expensive 1/4d per half ounce.

The second cover was sent on February 24 1880 from Aramac to London, via Brindisi. Postage was paid by a pair of 6d Chalons and a 2d sideface, for a total of 1/2d being the double rate for a letter weighing over a _ oz. and not more than 1 oz. This 7d per _ ounce rate was in existence for only one week, from February 20 1880 until February 28 1880, when it was further reduced.