Transport is vital in the modern world. Without transport many of our systems would not work. The postal system, in particular, relies on transport. This chapter will look at how our mail is transported around the world.
The postal system is a system by which letters and packages are sent to destinations around the country and around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.
A postal system is usually run by the government of the country which applies fees to the delivery of letters and parcels. This fee is usually paid when people buy stamps to send their letters or parcels. There may also be some parts of the postal system that is run by private companies. Parcel deliveries may be made by private courier services which provide fast delivery.
Postal systems may also provide other services than just delivering mail. In some countries, the postal system may deal with telephone systems, bill paying systems or passport applications.
The first postmaster of Sydney was an ex-convict named Isaac Nichols, who organised the post from his home in Circular Quay in 1809. In 1828, Australia's first postman commenced deliveries in Sydney. Mail was transported on horseback or coach from Sydney to areas such as Newcastle and Bathurst. In 1838 an overland mail service between Sydney and Melbourne was established. In 1849 the world's first stamp with a picture on it was produced in New South Wales and was called 'Sydney Views'. In 1852 a steamship commenced a mail service between Australia and England. In 1865 a Travelling Post Office (or TPO) was attached to trains. This TPO allowed mail to be sorted on the train which made the delivery of the mail much faster, particularly in country areas. See image 1. In 1891 bicycles were first used by postmen to deliver mail in Warwick, Queensland.
After Federation in 1901, the control of the postal system was handed to the Commonwealth of Australia government. In 1914 a pilot named Maurice Guillaux carried Australia's first airmail (1785 letters) between Melbourne and Sydney. This was the longest airmail flight in the world. The first overseas airmail was carried between England and Australia in 1919. A regular airmail service was established in 1934. See image 2. In 1967 four-digit postcodes were allocated to every Australian suburb. This allowed for the electronic sorting of mail and so letters were delivered much faster.
In 1989 Australia Post was established as a Government Business Enterprise. This meant that Australia Post was still in the hands of the government but had to run as a profitable business. In 1994 the federal government ended Australia Post's monopoly and opened up postal services to competition. Competitors could now deliver standard letters weighing over 250 grams.
Australia Post then started to expand the services it provides. It now sells cards, gifts and stationery as well as providing a bill payment service. It is likely that Australia Post will remain in the hands of the government for some time.
A postal system takes letters and parcels from street post boxes or post offices and delivers them to destinations throughout the world. In most areas, mail is collected during the week and taken to a mail centre in a large city.
At the mail centre the mail is barcoded and postmarked and sorted electronically into different postcode destinations. Mail is then sent to its destinations. It travels by all modes of transport including rail, road, sea and air. Mail arrives at delivery centres and is sorted. Then postal delivery officers (sometimes called posties) deliver the mail on foot, cars, bicycles or motorbikes to household letterboxes or business addresses. In remote areas, the post may be delivered by plane or even boat. See animation
A courier is a person or company that delivers packages and mail. Courier companies are usually private companies. This means that governments are not involved in their operation. A courier can deliver letters and packages between offices faster than the postal service, but it is a more expensive service. In cities, some couriers will ride bicycles or motorbikes. In other areas most use vans, trucks and aircraft.
There are many courier companies throughout the world. The world's largest courier company is UPS followed by FedEx and DHL. These courier companies have aircraft and trucks that deliver to destinations all over the world. UPS, for example, has over 2000 daily flights to over 200 countries. This means that packages can be delivered very quickly to the destination. See image 3
Today, mail makes up 19 percent of the 24 billion messages sent. The volume of mail is still increasing, even with the invention of electronic mail. The largest increase has been the growth of mail between businesses and households. Financial mail, home shopping and direct mail are adding to this growth of mail.