| General Post Office Brisbane | |
| Alternate Names: | GPO |
| Building Type: | Post Office |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical architecture |
| Structural System: | Brick and stone |
| Location: | Brisbane central business district |
| Address: | 261 Queen Street, Brisbane |
| Owner: | Australia Post |
| Current Tenants: | Australia Post |
| Start Date: | 1871 |
| Inauguration Date: | 28 September 1872 |
| Height: | 50feet |
| Floor Count: | 2 |
| Main Contractor: | John Petrie |
| Architect: | F. G. D. Stanley |
| References: | General Post Office History |
The General Post Office (GPO) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is a heritage-listed building located at 261 Queen Street. Originally constructed in 1872, it was extended through to Elizabeth Street in 1908. The GPO remains in use by the Australia Post today. Opposite the GPO is the Post Office Square.
The first full-time postmaster in Brisbane was J. E. Barney, appointed in 1852.[1] In 1862, Thomas Lodge Murray Prior became the first Postmaster-General for the state of Queensland. Initially, postal services operated from a small convict-era building, which was inconveniently distant from the telegraph office. The Postmaster-General selected a centrally located half-hectare site for the new post office.
The building previously located at the Queen Street site, which once housed women convicts, was demolished in 1871.[1]
Freestone and bricks were sourced locally for the construction. The GPO officially opened on 28 September 1872. In 1873, the Queensland Museum was housed in the General Post Office building until it moved to the William Street building in 1879. That same year, a second wing constructed by John Petrie was completed, allowing the telegraph office to relocate to the GPO, much to the satisfaction of business customers
The building features deep verandahs and high ceilings. A clock mounted in the pediment above the main entrance was once illuminated by a gas-powered light, later replaced by a smaller electric clock. In 1892, the first typewriter used in any Australian post office was introduced at the GPO. Stamps and money orders were once available to customers through windows outside the building, which are now closed.
The building has been listed on the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.[2]