Historic Daylesford post office freehold listed for sale
An original brass bell, a working clock tower and a place in Daylesford’s daily routine: the town’s historic post office offers its next owner more than a commercial investment.
The landmark building, which sits on the main roundabout in town and has multiple tenancies anchored by Australia Post, is on the market with price hopes of $2 million, and selling agent Peter Douglas, director and licensed agent at Belle Property Daylesford, expects its history and community connections to be central to finding a buyer.
“It best suits somebody who has a bit of a romance with historic buildings,” he says. “It’s the reason why the vendor bought it off Australia Post in the first place.”
The vendor was transferred to Daylesford to run the post office in December 1984, and he bought the property in 1998 after falling in love with the building and its place within the town’s history.
Now, the sale offers another owner the chance to take on a building whose story stretches back to the 1860s.
A longstanding history
The building’s foundation stone was laid on January 16, 1867, and it opened for business on June 10, 1868. The intact 1880 solid cast-brass bell remains, but the original structure has been modified, and the historic clock now has digitised controls.
The building’s significance extends beyond its age and architecture. For locals collecting mail, visiting the other businesses in the building or simply passing through the centre of town, it remains part of everyday Daylesford.
“There are hundreds of PO boxes, so lots of people from the region go to the post office every day,” Douglas says. “It’s been a centrepiece of town for a long time.”
A fully tenanted operation
The property is offered as a freehold investment, with a listed floor area of 368 square metres. Downstairs, it’s business as usual in the post office, but the building also hosts a mix of tenants, including a psychologist, an accountant, and a hairdresser that has been running for over 15 years.
Its upper-level offices accommodate the team from ChillOut, a festival that has become closely associated with Daylesford’s LGBTQI community.
“Every year, the rainbow flag is displayed by them on the tower to honour the festival making its way to town,” Douglas says.
He says the opportunity to buy a property of this character on Vincent Street is unusual.
“A number of properties of significance or architectural beauty in Daylesford, especially on Vincent Street, are owned by probably a handful of people,” he explains.
“Many own multiple properties on the main street because it’s highly desirable – it’s a busy street, especially for tourism. So for something like this to come on the market is very rare.”
For the vendor, the sale will close a chapter that began with a posting to the local post office and continued through decades of ownership and care.
Douglas says that personal history makes the campaign particularly meaningful.
“It is a privilege to be the agent entrusted with the sale of a property with such a rich history,” he says, “particularly on behalf of such a humble and lovely owner who has had such a long association with the building.”
