Australia - Can Anyone Identify These Placenames?

Rod, that's very interesting that you were able to pull up three placenames ending in 'HARBOR.' There has to be a reason for this. Just speculating, but perhaps these places were named fairly early on in the 19th century before the current orthographical conventions were laid down.

Yes, it would be difficult to establish which datestamp it is. However, some datestamps have distinctive features which enable identification. And there are also factors to consider such as whether a post office was actually open at that location around the time the stamp was cancelled. I've had considerable success this way using Cowan & Dell's book on Queensland datestamps.

BTW, Rod, do you indeed possess a reference work on Victorian datestamps? If so, I have at least one more very tricky one for you to mull over!

I've got a few notes..give it a try

Despite the fact that harbour is normally spelt with a "u" in modern Australian English, the name of the city is spelt Victor Harbor. This spelling, found in several geographical names in South Australia, including Outer Harbor, is the result of spelling errors made by an early Surveyor General of South Australia. Conversely Victor Harbour railway station is spelt with the u.

Our family regularly holidayed at Victor Harbor
when I was a nipper.

Well, Rod, I'd be interested in knowing what's going on in this datestamp:



Any thoughts about the rather large and obvious gap?

Hmmm
Bad News I am afraid,
You have identified a flaw in my data :(
My new reference material, is vast
literally thousands of Victorian handstamps...but

I only go A-G
It had not occurred to me, I have only just received them.

My apologies, so just ask if any queries A-G

If when I get the entire work, it will be about
a foot thick!


Just a general note in addition:
Up until the mid fifties, datestamps were produced by private
companies, so with each supplier, a new forme would be introduced.
It wasn't until 1956 the postal workshops took on the job.

Your mornington looks like a distinct variety,
I would hang on to that one.
There is no "Mornington" that I can see with
any compass heading or addition.

It sounds like an amazing resource!

I'll be sure to confine my enquiries to A-G for the forseeable future!

:-)))

Sadly that is not going to happen,
A death by one of the three authors apparently stopped production.

I have two Victorian cancels in my problem pile which you may be able to help with, Rod. What do you think this one is?



And is it possible to tell whether this one is Buldah or Condah? I think these are the only possibilities.



It's sad to read that the work will never be completed. Well, perhaps there's someone out there who may one day be able to step into Webster's shoes. Let's hope so!

Re the Mornington cancel, it is distinctly odd and I definitely intend to hold on to it, at least until I know exactly what it is. The PPA list doesn't suggest any possibilities, so it could be a long time yet before an explanation presents itself.

There's a nice full strike of this on a stamp on piece currently on sale on the PPA site and it's described as:

"Mornington:

'MORNINGTON /19AP33/VIC' ('JCTN' removed) on 2d red KGV."

So it's canceller from Mornington that had previously been used at Mornington Junction (now Baxter).

nigel always got the bit of information that fits the puzzle! :)

nigelc, thanks for the information! I considered that possibility, but am very surprised nonetheless to learn that it was true. This is because Mornington Junction was renamed Baxter P.O. in 1918. It seemed to me that rather a long time had passed for Mornington to be still using a recycled datestamp!

That said, I have two telegrams from 1970 which show the Blackall post office in Queensland still using a datestamp it had used on mail up to about 1940.

Now to WA. I thought this one would be easy, but it's not turning out that way. One unknown letter then 'ALDFORD' - what could be hard about that? However, there doesn't appear to be a place with such a name in WA, so I must have something wrong. I just don't think it's 'GUILDFORD,' although this is the only placename ending in 'LDFORD' I can find in WA. The letter before the 'L' looks like it can only be an 'A.'

Does anyone know what it is?

The first one is ECHUCA

(Aboriginal "meeting of the waters")

sister city= Whitehorse, Yukon Canada

--------------------

Yes, well done Nigel ! (super sleuth)
"Junction" removed, a cracker.

Victorian anding in DAH

CONDAH SWAMP VIC
CONDAH VIC
LAKE CONDAH VIC
WONWONDAH VIC
YACKANDANDAH VIC
BULDAH VIC

Thanks, Rod!

Since Rod keeps on identifying Victorian locations, let me retaliate: I think that last WA CDS must be from leafy Guildford.

I have browsed 13,000 post office handstamps
Of the "Fords" I have

Langford
Oakford
Guildford

I must say, I do not like the slant of the "I"
that's why I chose not to respond, figuring
it may be a rare or closed post office

I cannot get GUILDFORD from the example really.

Guildord Grammar : Boys included........
Andrew Denton
Karl Langdon (footballer most Victorians tried to emulate)
and Heath Ledger (Movie actor)