| Address: | 10-16 Ocean Beach Road |
|---|---|
| Suburb: | Sorrento |
Built in 1905, the building is of national historical significance. The architect was J H Marsden; the builder Charles Haslett. The Australian Heritage Database records that:
“The Sorrento Post Office, constructed in 1904-5, has been an integral element of the town’s commercial district. Designed and constructed by the Victorian government for the newly formed Commonwealth Postmaster-General’s office… and one of the few prominent early symbols of Federation and the Commonwealth government in the local context. The Sorrento building was the second of five early post office buildings, after Terang, constructed by Victoria Public Works Department for the Commonwealth Government in the 1903-1907 period … Sorrento … is one of the oldest post offices in Australia to have been built for the Commonwealth.”
“The Sorrento post office … includes a postmasters quarters attached at the rear. The walls are of red brick, with smooth rendered and over-painted upper sections. The roof is of corrugated iron, which extends into a verandah over the footpath which is supported on heavy timber stop-chamfered posts accentuated by decorative brackets, with simple frieze work above. The face of the gable above the verandah is stuccoed, containing the words “Post and Telegraph Office” in a late nineteenth century Arts and Crafts calligraphy. The post office is set within the context of a number of historic buildings in the Ocean Beach Road streetscape. Despite various alterations and extensions, the internal planning of the post office and quarters remains reasonably evident.”
The Sorrento Post Office was sold in 2012. The postal services moved to the Sorrento Newsagency. In March 2013 a Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting resolved to change the planning scheme to include the post office as a significant heritage place after concluding that the current heritage scheme would not protect the building from unwarranted development.
An Early Sorrento Post Office, built 1880s: ca. 1901 ----- The building, left, was an early incarnation of the Sorrento Post Office, demolished prior to redevelopment in 1905. Image courtesy of the Nepean Historical Society (NHS).
Former Sorrento Post Office, built 1905 by Charles Halsett: ca.1917-30 ----- An important example of Sorrento’s civic architectural heritage. Significant for its attached residence built 1907. Note the location of the former entry, since filled. Copyright image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.
Former Sorrento Post Office: 2013 ---- The façade has undergone significant cosmetic alterations with the original brickwork having been painted and the right hand entrance having been partially bricked in and PO boxes integrated in its place. Image courtesy of R.T Edgar Real Estates 2013.
Former Sorrento Post Office: 2013 ---- The image illustrates a high degree of interior remodelling with few original features. Image courtesy of R.T Edgar Real Estates 2013.
Former Sorrento Post Office: 2013 ---- An rear elevation of the Postman’s residence. Image courtesy of R.T Edgar Real Estates 2013.
