Mogo Post Office - Australian History South Coast NSW

Old Mogo Town, Tourism theme park near Batemans Bay, south coast NSW

The Post Office

The Post Office in Mogo was one of the first to be built outside the Sydney region. It was opened in 1869 under the auspices of Postmaster George Veitch. He was followed in tragic circumstances by his widow. The post was later taken up by Frederick Ladmore whom she married. They were followed by her son, James Veitch, who held the position for many years. Sending a letter was a big event in 1869. The penny post (approximately $2.20 in our currency today) was still no guarantee of delivery. Mail was carried on horseback to Moruya 10 miles away, and 25 miles further on to Bodalla.	Old Mogo Post Office ~ established 1869
Packhorse mails were carried in 1859 between Braidwood, Reidsdale, Araluen, Mullenderee, Moruya and Batemans Bay twice a week. In 1861 Nelligen was substituted for Batemans Bay as the shipping port for Moruya-Sydney mails. Rumour and gossip (the fondly named "Bush Telegraph") was often more effective than the Morse Code used for urgent telegrams. Receipt of a telegram was a serious business back then, since it was usually reserved for bad news.
Early Australian Communications.	Morse Code Morse Code (named after Samuel F. B. Morse, its originator) was widely used in the early days of long-distance communications as the equipment was much simpler (and more reliable) than that required for voice. The code consists of short impulses (called dots) and long impulses (called dashes) ~ there is a combination of dots and dashes for each letter of the alphabet, each number and some punctuation characters.
If you were to lean across to the morse key in the post office and tap it gently with three short taps, three long taps and three short taps, it would read "SOS". This is the internationally recognised emergency signal that, some say, represents "Save Our Souls". You can find some additional history about telegraphy, the basic Morse Alphabet and a resource for learning Morse Code here, here and here.

Gold Mining Licenses ~ sold at the Old Mogo Post Office

It was common on the goldfields for any establishment to house more than one enterprise. The Post Office also supplied the mining licenses, an assaying service and saddlery.

In NSW Diggers had to pay 30 shillings a month for the right to prospect a lease of ground of two square metres. They had to pay in advance and keep paying irrespective of whether they had found gold or not. In comparison, squatters only paid ten pounds a year for a licence to graze their sheep over thousands of acres. Governor Wentworth's Goldfield Act of 1853, rather than forcing miners off the gold fields and back into rural labour, ended up causing close to civil war at Sofala, and later at the Eureka Stockade.

The paper press on the front counter had a dual use. Documents were usually stored in a ribboned roll and needed to be flattened for display or reading purposes. The press was also used to crush small samples of rocks as a preliminary to assaying their gold content.

Just 3 miles to Batemans Bay

Mogo is part of the Araluen Goldfields, you can enjoy a trip up the "Old Coach Road". There are many spots of historical interest and the scenery is spectacular. Make a stop at Braidwood, a National Trust Heritage town with much to offer.

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Australian East Coast Tourism Website

The Post Office

Morse Code