Charles Gould first explored the area in the 1860s, but the remoteness of the place and rugged terrain delayed settlement until the discovery of gold at Queen River in 1881.
A tent city sprung up around the first smelters in Penghana but in late 1896, the township was destroyed by fire and settlers forced to relocate to the neighbouring settlement of Queenstown, also known as Polkana and Queen Crossing.
[2][1] Queenstown developed rapidly and by 1901, the central activities district centred around Orr and Sticht streets, including two and three-storey hotels, shops and public buildings.
Charles W. Leeming was the first postmaster, and the building was designed by the Tasmanian Government Public Works Office, prior to the Commonwealth taking over this responsibility.
The substantial two-storey stucco building was erected at the tailend of the town's boom period, but reflected the growth and optimism of the preceding years.
The ground floor is presented as an arcaded basement along sixteenth-century palazzo lines, with the four largest arches fronting a return loggia containing the entry.
The clock tower extends another level past the first floor, set on a stuccoed base with large scroll consoles and a close-bracketed eave over resembling a dentil moulding.
The clock faces are housed in arched aedicules and linked to the cornice by extruded keystones, an Edwardian Baroque touch, also evident in the end pediments which are flanked by wide pilasters.
The main retail area is open in plan form, divided spatially by a large counter, a timber veneered partition and a structural beam which has been installed to support the first floor following the removal of loadbearing walls.
[1] While the design intent is legible externally, cumulative works have been undertaken throughout the majority of the interior spaces and currently, Australia Post operates only from the ground floor.
[1] The exterior of the building is generally in good condition although the lack of maintenance to water ingress, rising damp, and possible structural movement represents a risk to its physical integrity.
It has a substantial dual frontage to Orr and Sticht streets, a landmark tower, and relationship to the neighbouring police station and courthouse, all of which combine to demonstrate the role and provision of government services within the town.
In scale and architectural achievement, the post office embodies a prosperity and future confidence in Queenstown that stemmed from the discovery of mineral deposits in the region in the 1880s.
While remotely located in rugged terrain, the building reflects Queenstown's certainty in its future, the force of the minerals boom, and its emergent but short-lived Federation-status as the third largest settlement in Tasmania.
The building's historic civic or public purpose is evident in the ground floor loggia, clock tower and working chimes, all adding to its landmark qualities.
[1] Queenstown Post Office has social significance as the site and focus of postal services within this centre for almost 110 years, but also due to its prominence within the main street context and association with other important civic buildings.
[1] This Wikipedia article was originally based on Queenstown Post Office, entry number 105234 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2019 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 15 May 2019.