Maroochy River

Maroochy River, 8 km from Nambour. An  unofficial Maroochy River Boat Mail Service appears to have been operating in 1934

• River Boat Mail Service seen in 1934 rated Very Rare

Maroochy River Boat Mail Service manuscript cancellation rated Very Rare. Dated 27 March 1934. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 54

The annotation on the cover reads as follows: THis letter was cancelled by the Maroochy River mailman, where such letters are picked up at farmers landings and delivered to other settlers along the banks of the river. Mode of conveyance. Motor boat. Service twice weekly

Dakabin

Dakabin Receiving office, 16 km south of Caboolture. It opened in February 1903 and was designated a post office in late 1927. The first receiving office keeper was A. McPhie. All examples seen also have an electric telegraph cancel in violet. It was probably used in lieu of a datestamp cancellation, as no datestamp cancellations for this post office during this period are known

• Manuscript cancellation seen in 1932 to1937 rated Rare

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 31 May 1935 and rated Rare. Seen in the Queensland Facebook Group

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 30 July 1936 and rated Rare. Seen in a private collection

Probable Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 19 February 1937 and rated Rare. Seen in a private collection 

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 28 August 1935 and rated Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 55

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 29 May 1935 and rated Rare. Seen Here

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 1 August 1933 and rated Rare. Seen Here

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 28 December 1932 and rated Rare. Seen in Smithies

Dakabin electric telegraph cancel with a manuscript cancellation dated 13 October 1932 and rated Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 58

Unofficial receiving offices at Queensland pastoral properties and remote work locations

I have come across a handful of covers that have originated from Queensland pastoral properties and other remote work locations with their name written on the top left hand side. They also include a signature and the word registered if applicable. They are subsequently cancelled at the nearest post office. I suspect, given the size of these properties, the number of people employed by them and living on site, as well as their distance to the nearest post office, that these acted as unofficial receiving offices with the stamps affixed on site and then given to the letter carrier, when he delivered mail to that location, to take to the post office, where they were cancelled and registered. 

If you have any more examples. I would love to see them.

Originating at Darr Rivers Downs, a pastoral property west of Longreach. Dated 22 August 1907

Originating at Charlotte Plains, a pastoral property east of Cunnamulla. Dated 11 June 1903. Seen on Stampboards

A cover from Darr River Downs outside Longreach and dated 25 September 1904. Seen on Ebay

And this one from a Chain Gang crew (56) working on a railway outside Alpha in 1901

Retro Station outside Capella dated 19 March 1903. Seen in Queensland Facebook Group

Stoneleigh Station dated 21 July 1899 in the Ingham district. Seen in Queensland Facebook Group

Penola Downs near Kynuna dated 13 october 1904. Seen in Premier Postal auction no 56

A cover from Maneroo Station outside Longreach and dated 15 March 1903. Seen on Stampboards

Eumina dated 23 February 1901 in the Charleville district. Seen in Queensland Facebook Group

Caiwarro, a station in the Warrego district, date stamped at Bourke, NSW on 24 July 1907. Seen in Tasmanian Stamp auctions

Rockhampton

Rockhampton Post Office, 100 km north west of Gladstone. It opened on 1 April 1858

• Manuscript cancellation seen in 1860 rated Very Rare

Rockhampton 102 HERE. Rockhampton 201 HERE. Rockhampton 201 duplex HERE  Rockhampton 201 on NSW stamps HERE. Rockhampton 201 roller cancel HERE. Rockhampton 308 HERE. Rockhampton 391 HERE. Rockhampton 431 HERE. Rockhampton 447 HERE. Rockhampton 448 HERE. Rockhampton duplex 473 HERE. Rockhampton duplex 509 HERE. Rockhampton duplex 514 HERE. Rockhampton duplex 583 HERE. Rockhampton registered HERE. Rockhampton date stamps HERE. Rockhampton instructional markings HERE

Rockhampton manuscript cancellation and a Rockhampton datestamp dated 9 November 1860. It is not known why this cover was cancelled with a single wavy-line pen stroke, as the Rockhampton 201 ray type numeral has been seen on stamps prior to this date. Rated Very Rare. Seen at Spink Auction 12043 lot no 1143. Ex Griffiths

Springfield

Springfield, Brisbane district. It is not known which receiving office in the Brisbane area was responsible for this item

• Manuscript cancellation seen in 1868 rated Very Rare

Manuscript cancellation dated 29 December 1868. An entire letter from Springfield, Brisbane "via Southampton" to Scotland and redirected to Edinburgh, bearing 6d. yellow-green and "registered" (6d.) orange-yellow cancelled with manuscript pen stroke and faint "gpo" in barred roller and with faint Brisbane Registered oval datestamp in red  and rated Very Rare. Seen at Spink Auction 14015 lot no 2311

Jimna

Jimna Receiving office, on the Yabba Goldfield 45 km west of Nambour. It opened on 9 September 1891 and closed around January 1909. The receiving office keeper was G. Whittington

• Manuscript cancellation seen in 1895 - 1907 rated Very Rare

Jimna numeral 108 HERE. Jimna date stamp 1b HERE

Jimna manuscript cancellation with a Kilkoy datestamp of 7 August 1907 and a Kilkoy registered handstamp crossed out and replaced with Jimna and rated Very Rare. Seen on Ebay

Jimna manuscript cancellation dated 1895 and rated Very Rare. Seen in Phoenix auction no 18. Ex Smithies

North Arm

North Arm Receiving office, 13 km north of Nambour, opened at the railway station of the same name sometime after July 1891. It was elevated to a post office in late 1912

• Manuscript cancellation seen in 1894 rated Very Rare

North Arm registered HERE. North Arm date stamp 6 HERE

North Arm manuscript cancellation dated 25 June 1894 and rated Very Rare. Seen on Ebay

Jimbour

Jimbour receiving office, 26 km north of Dalby. The post office opened in September 1882 and was reduced to a receiving office sometime after 1912

• Manuscript cancellation dated 1924 rated Very Rare

Jimbour numeral 340 HERE. Jimbour registered HERE. Jimbour date stamp 3b HERE

Jimbour manuscript cancellation dated 11 January 1924 and rated Very Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 8 lot no 995

Bullyard

Bullyard receiving office, 30 km west of Bundaberg. The Kolan Receiving Office opened at the railway station in 1883 and the name was changed to Bullyard in 1897. It was elevated to a post office in 1927

• Manuscript cancellation dated 1902 - 1913 rated Very Rare

Bullyard manuscript cancellation dated 9 January 1903 with a Gin Gin datestamp of the same date and rated Very Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 41 lot no 1114

Bullyard manuscript cancellation dated 1 December 1903 with a Gin Gin datestamp of the same date and rated Very Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 9 lot no 846. Ex Smithies

Bullyard manuscript cancellation dated 27 April 1903 with an indistinct datestamp and rated Very Rare. Seen at Premier Postal auction no 117 lot no 1371. Ex Smithies

Bullyard manuscript cancellation dated 17 April 1903 with a Bundaberg duplex datestamp numeral 148 and dated the same date and rated Very Rare. Seen at Phoenix auction no 67

Iveragh

Iveragh receiving office, 38 km south east of Gladstone. The railway station and the Eurimbula receiving office opened in October 1897 with the receiving office name being changed to Iveragh in 1898. It was elevated to a post office in 1925/6

• manuscript cancellation dated 1902 - 1905 rated Rare

Iveragh manuscript cancellation dated 17 November 1902 with a Gladstone datestamp cancellation of the same date and rated Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 41 lot no 1127

Iveragh manuscript cancellation and rated Rare. Seen at Phoenix Auction no 41 lot no 1148

Iveragh manuscript cancellation and rated Rare. Dated 4 June 19--. Seen on Ebay

Iveragh manuscript cancellation and rated Rare. Dated 7 June 1905. Seen in Stampboards

Iveragh manuscript cancellation and rated Rare. Dated 7 April 1905. Seen in Stampboards

Iveragh manuscript cancellation dated 27 May 1905 with a Bundaberg 148 numeral duplex cancellation of the same date and rated Rare. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group