Postmarks Of Western Australia

A couple of early mentions of Strawberry post office from Trove:

1894, Post office building in progress:


1912, Politician Mr Drew visits Strawberry and local representatives petition for adequate post office facilities and improved salary for the postmistress:

Fabulous! FDS
We have date and confirmation.

I'll pass this on to the historical society, if I receive a response.
I am assuming Jarrah weatherboard Post Office construction, with custom orb roofing
(Corrugated iron)

I am almost tempted to take a drive up there.
I see there is also a "strawberry hill"

Still do not understand how a "hamlet" can have such a long history
of the post office, when Mingenew is only 17km away.
I suppose 17km is some distance by horse and dray.

I also note Mr. Drew Time travelled.
He left Strawberry at 2pm and arrived at Mingenew at 1pm.

Early mail in th district

Mail by Constable and Tracker.


Even as late as 1880, it was faster to travel by sea, to Perth, rather than overland.

He wasn't that clever - it's 4pm.

Ah! so it is
So, it took 2 hours to do the 18 km, those were the days.

Reply from the historical society...
Hi Rodney

Yes, there was a post office in Strawberry for many years - from as early as the late 1880s (when it is mentioned as part of the overland mail route) until at least the early 1940s (when it was listed as a place of issue for ration books). It is also listed as the polling place for many elections in the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. Chances are it wasn't quite the modern version of a post office - and may have been a shed like at Yandanooka or possibly even a room in someone's house. Strawberry is between Mingenew and Dongara.

Best wishes

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1908 4d Swan Chestnut Brown perf WA with R cancellation.

1d Red Kangaroo & Half Penny Orange King George V Head with MOUNT BARKER,WESTERN AUSTRALIA cancellation dated 2 APR 1928.

1913 Half Penny Green Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with CLAREMONT, WA cancellation dated 29 SE 1914.

1913 1d Red Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with BERIA, WA cancellation dated 3 AUG 1914.

Beria is an abandoned town in the Goldfields - Esperance region of Western Australia. The Beria townsite was surveyed and gazetted in 1905. Gold was discovered in the area just north of the later townsite by prospectors Lemon, Hungerford, Elmes and Clement in 1897.

1913 1d Red Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with CARNAMAH, WA cancellation dated 14 FE 1913.

Carnamah is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The town was gazetted in 1913, and is named after "Carnamah", the name of a pastoral property established by Duncan Macpherson in this location in the late 1860s. A telegraph station was established here in 1873, and is referred to in 1876 by the explorer Ernest Giles. Giles spells it "Cornamah" in his book, but "Carnamah" on his map.

1913 1d Red Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with DENMARK, WA cancellation dated 12 JAN 1914.

DENMARK is a coastal town located on Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. A post office and savings bank was opened on 30 August 1897.

1913 1d Red Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with GREENBUSHES, WA cancellation dated 6 AP 1914.

GREENBUSHES is a timber and mining town located in the South West region of Western Australia. Greenbushes was founded as a mining town in 1888 following a surveyor's discovery of tin in 1886. The railway from Donnybrook to Bridgetown opened in 1898, with Greenbushes station located approximately six kilometres north of the main townsite.

1913 1d Red Kangaroo ~ FIRST WATERMARK, with NORTHAMPTON, WA cancellation dated 14 AU 1913.

NORTHAMPTON is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Originally called The Mines, Northampton was gazetted in 1864 and named after the colony's Governor, John Hampton.

1918 1½d Black-Brown King George V Head ~ Single Watermark with CARNARVON - WESTERN AUSTRALIA cancellation dated 27 SEP 19.

CARNARVON was founded in 1883, initially as a port and supply centre for the surrounding region, and is the administrative centre for the Shire of Carnarvon. The town site was officially gazetted on 4 June 1891, named after Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, a past Secretary of State for the Colonies. Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef and the popular tourist town of Exmouth lie to the north. Within Carnarvon is the Mungullah Aboriginal Community. Inland, Carnarvon has strong links with the town of Gascoyne Junction and the Burringurrah Community

1920 2d Red King George V Head ~ Single Watermark with WYALKATCHEM, WESTERN AUSTRALIA cancellation dated 17 JL 23.

Wyalkatchem is an Aboriginal name first recorded for a waterhole spelt Walkatching in the 1870s. The spelling Walcatching was used in 1881 when the Toodyay Road Board referred to a tank to be built there, and when the road from Northam to the Yilgarn Goldfield was surveyed in 1892 the spelling Wyalcatchem was used for the tank. The Walkatching spelling is probably the most accurate, as Aboriginal names in this region rarely end in em. The change of spelling from Wyalcatchem to Wyalkatchem in 1911 was done by the Department of Lands & Surveys according to rules the Department had adopted for spelling Aboriginal names. The meaning of the name is not known.