Never miss a thing in the Macedon Ranges
Your Macedon Ranges is a free weekly email that keeps you informed about activities and events in the Macedon Ranges. Published every Sunday.
With thanks to Malmsbury Historical Society.
A plaque outside 67 Mollison St records that the building was Malmsbury’s post and telegraph office in 1854. While this site – now occupied by a café and store named Merchants of Malmsbury – does have a history as a post office, research undertaken since the plaque was mounted has revealed that this information is incorrect.
Malmsbury is known to have had a post office by 1851. But the land at 67 Mollison St was occupied from the mid-1850s to 1861 by a shelter shed for travellers to the goldfields. It wasn’t until October 1873 that the post office moved there.
The relocation was meant to be temporary. However, despite the village’s appeals to the state government for a purpose-built permanent home for the post office, it remained there until the 1970s.
The building continued in use as a newsagency, and in 2002, Merchants of Malmsbury was opened by photographer Len Johnston. If you visit the café today, you can still see the remnants of the old post box.
✍️ Christine Barker, Secretary and Editor of Malmsbury Historical Society.
📘 History of Malmsbury, by Roslyn Stevens, can be purchased for $10 (plus postage) by emailing Malmsbury Historical Society. Alternatively, copies are available at Malmsbury Bakery and Malmsbury General Store.
Enjoyed this article?
Get one like it every week by subscribing to Your Macedon Ranges
“I am so happy to be able to receive your emails and keep up to date with what’s going on in the area as well as learning a bit of local history!”