It’s not commonly known that there is a strong history of Australia Post offices in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Even back in the very early days of polar exploration, when Sir Douglas Mawson travelled down to Cape Denison in 1911, he fervently tried (and failed) to establish one of the first authorised post offices on the continent.
It wasn’t until 1947 that the first ‘official’ Australian Antarctic Post Office was opened on Heard Island. Since then, Australia has operated seven Post Office locations in the AAT - Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Wilkes, Casey, Davis, Mawson, and most recently Cape Denison. The official recognition of a new Post Office in the AAT is marked by the issuing of a unique postal cancellation stamp, known in philately circles as a First Day of Issue Postmark. This authorises the station to ‘cancel’ stamps on behalf of Australia Post and enter letters into the mail distribution system. It’s very common for stamp collectors to mail letters to Antarctica with a pre-paid return envelope, in order to have their letters ‘cancelled’ in Antarctica.
Each of the four permanent stations in the AAT currently maintain a post office, managed by an expeditioner who is ‘deputised’ by Australia Post in the role of Postmaster. After I was appointed to this (extremely prestigious) role back in Hobart, a very common question I was asked by family and friends was “Why does an Antarctic research station need a post office? Don’t you have the internet?” It’s a valid question – in the age of Starlink, Whatsapp video calls and the plethora of social media, what is the purpose of the age-old letter?
Since taking over the role in early November 2023, the Casey Post Office has sent over 1000 letters, postcards, Christmas cards and greeting cards to family and friends back in Australia. In return, over 200 kg of mail (nearly 40 mail bags worth) has been sent south to our expeditioners at Casey. One of the greatest boosts to expeditioner morale is the arrival of ‘a fresh bag’, and everyone gathers together to undertake the great sort, to get the mail ready for collection.
At Casey we have also received well over 100 fan letters from Antarctic enthusiasts and philatelists (fancy word for stamp collectors) from all around the world, hoping to get our coveted First Day of Issue cancellation stamp on their pre-paid envelopes. From Beijing to Belgium, Manchester to Middle Woodfood, the humble snail mail has travelled far and wide.
So why is there so much passion for the mail? Even though we live in a world of real-time communication, there is something very tangible and deeply nostalgic about writing or receiving a hand-written letter. The joy of receiving something written in a moment of time. Maybe the latest creative masterpiece from the kids back home, a postcard with a drawing of a penguin, a Polaroid photo taken at a field hut, or even a good old-fashioned love letter from your partner signed off with “S.W.A.L.K.”
While the outside world increasingly sees snail mail as a mechanism purely for e-commerce, bills and Amazon deliveries, in our corner of a frozen continent the hand-written letter remains an inseparable part of the spirit of expedition.
Owen Horton.
Station Supply Officer and Postmaster for the 77th Casey ANARE
Want to write a letter to the expeditioners at Casey Station?
Att: The Postmaster
Casey Station, Australian Antarctic Division
PO Box 385
Kingston, Tasmania 7050
Please include a standard domestic pre-paid return envelope if you would like our Casey Cancellation stamp!
