In January 1966, Warragul's ornate old brick post office came tumbling down to make way for a new brick office.
The photograph shows the first stages of demolition as the roof was removed from the old Warragul Post Office.
The wreckers – Harris Demolitions, of Dandenong – expected to have the site cleared in the contract time of three weeks. The contractors began work on January 15 and three days later the building contractors, Messrs H. Mold and Son, of Warragul erected a galvanised iron fence around the site.
The Gazette reported the demolishers were finding the going tough, as plenty of thorough workmanship went into the double brick building back in 1887 when it was built.
That year, on June 4 the foundation stone was laid by Hon. John Nimmo, who was minister for Public Works. The inscribed stone will be returned by the demolition team to the Department of Works.
The demolishers – a team of five local men and four from Dandenong – propose to keep an eye open for any historical records which may have been implanted in the foundations.
The ornate building was to make way for a two-storey building as modern as any in rural Australia. The demolition was being carried out in conjunction with Mr R. L. Bennet of South Road Disposals, Warragul.
Photograph courtesy Warragul and District Historical Society.