Lexi Webster
Australia introduced postal or ZIP codes in 1967, replacing earlier postal sorting systems. Australian postcodes consist of four digits and are written after the name of the city, suburb, or town and the state or territory. For example, an address in Sydney might look like this: Recipient Name, 100 Citizen Road, BLACKTOWN NSW 2148. The first two digits of the ZIP code indicate the state or region. Postcodes are used for sorting and delivery of letters and parcels, and they are often linked with one area.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of introduction | 1967 |
| Introduced by | Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) |
| Replaced | Melbourne's letter and number codes (e.g., N3, E5) and a similar system in rural and regional New South Wales |
| Number of digits | 4 |
| Written | After the name of the city, suburb, or town, and the state or territory |
| Zip codes | Divided geographically |
| Example | Sydney NSW 2000 |
| Postcode squares | Introduced in June 1990 |
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What You'll Learn
History of Australia's postal codes
Postcodes were introduced in Australia in 1967 by the Postmaster-General's Department (PMG). They were introduced to replace earlier postal sorting systems, such as Melbourne's alphanumeric codes (e.g. N3, E5) and a similar system used in rural and regional New South Wales. The introduction of postcodes coincided with the introduction of a large-scale mechanical mail sorting system, starting with the Sydney GPO.
The initial digit of each postcode was copied from the previously existing numerical prefixes of Australian radio call signs, which were based on state/territory borders. However, over time, the initial digits of postcodes have deviated from the radio system. For example, the 8000 series refers to special addresses in Victoria. It is sometimes incorrectly stated that the initial digits of the postcodes corresponded to the geographical boundaries of the official Australian Military Districts that existed between 1911 and 1997.
Australian postcodes consist of four digits and are written after the name of the city, suburb, or town, and the state or territory. For example, an address may be written as follows:
Recipient Name
100 Citizen Road
BLACKTOWN NSW 2148
When writing an address by hand, the postcode may be written in the four boxes pre-printed on the lower right-hand corner of an envelope. When posting to a business, the recipient's name may be substituted with the business name. If an article is intended for a specific identity within an organisation, their identity can be prepended on the line above the business name, followed by c/-.
Postcode squares were introduced in June 1990 to enable Australia Post to use optical character recognition (OCR) software in its mail sorting machines to automatically and more quickly sort mail by postcodes. Australian envelopes and postcards often have four boxes printed in orange at the bottom right for the postcode.
Postcodes are used by many organisations, including insurance companies, which use them to calculate insurance rates, and Transport NSW, which assigns bus stop numbers based on postcodes in Greater Sydney.
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How to format an address
To ensure your mail or deliveries arrive without delay, it is important to correctly format an address. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Recipient's Name
The first line of the address should include the name of the recipient. This can be an individual's name or, when posting to an organisation, the business name. If sending mail to a specific person within an organisation, their name should be written on the line above the business name, with 'c/-' prepended to the business name.
Street Address
The second line should include the house or building number and street name.
Suburb or Town, and State or Territory
The third line should include the suburb or town name, followed by the state or territory abbreviation. For example, 'Blacktown NSW'.
Postal Code
The final line should include the four-digit postal code. For example, '2148'. Postal codes are sometimes divided by a space, for example, '2000 108'.
When writing an address by hand, the postal code can be written in the four boxes often pre-printed on the lower right-hand corner of an envelope. If addressing a letter from outside Australia, the postal code is recorded before 'Australia', which is placed on a fourth line.
It is worth noting that some postcodes cover two or more states, especially near state and territory borders. For example, postcode 2620 covers localities in both NSW and the ACT.
Examples
Recipient Name
100 Citizen Road
Blacktown NSW 2148
Recipient Name
100 Citizen Road
Blacktown NSW
Australia
2148
Recipient Name
C/- Business Name
100 Citizen Road
Blacktown NSW 2148
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Postcode squares
The four-digit postcodes were introduced in Australia in 1967 by the Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) to replace earlier postal sorting systems. The first two digits of the postcode indicate the state or region. For example, New South Wales has postcode combinations between 1000 and 1999, 2000-2599, and 2619-2898.
When writing an address by hand, the postcode may be written in the postcode squares instead of on the line with the city and state. Postcode squares should not be used for machine-addressed mail or mail going overseas.
It is important to address mail with the correct postcode to avoid any delays in delivery.
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Geographical postcode divisions
Postcodes in Australia were introduced in 1967 by the Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) to replace earlier postal sorting systems. They consist of four digits and are placed at the end of the address, before the country name. The first one or two numerals usually indicate the state or territory that the postcode belongs to. For example, the postcode 6160 belongs only to Fremantle, Western Australia.
Due to postcode rationalisation, they can be quite complex, especially in country areas. For instance, 2570 belongs to twenty-two towns and suburbs around Camden, New South Wales. Some postcodes cover large populations, while others have much smaller populations, even in urban areas. Australian postcodes range from 0200 for the Australian National University (now 2601) to 9944 for Cannonvale, Queensland. Some towns and suburbs have two postcodes—one for street deliveries and another for post office boxes.
There are also instances where postcodes cross state or territory boundaries. For example, postcode 2620 covers both a locality in NSW (Gundaroo) and a locality in the ACT (Hume). The numerals used to show the state on each radio callsign in Australia are the same as the first numeral for postcodes in that state.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses Postal Areas as an approximation of a general definition of postcodes. There are 2,644 Postal Areas covering the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. However, these are not allocated names as there is no standardised name available.
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The use of postcodes beyond Australia Post
Postcodes in Australia were introduced in 1967 to replace earlier postal sorting systems. They are used to more efficiently sort and route mail in the Australian postal system. The four-digit code is placed at the end of the address, before the country name. The first two digits indicate the state or region.
Beyond their use in mail sorting, postcodes in Australia have several other applications. They are often used to define sales and franchise territories, with companies producing metropolitan street maps that list the postcodes for each suburb. The Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Taxation Office, and other federal and state government organisations also publish a range of statistics by postcode, which is useful for business and social planning activities.
Postcodes are also used by insurance companies when calculating the cost of car and house insurance policies. Additionally, Transport for NSW utilises postcodes to assign specific numbers to bus stops in Greater Sydney.
In the past, some large businesses, government departments, and institutions receiving high volumes of mail had their own postcodes as Large Volume Receivers (LVRs). However, Australia Post has been progressively discontinuing the LVR program since 2006.
It is worth noting that some areas in Australia, typically remote locations with little or no population, do not have assigned postcodes.
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Frequently asked questions
Australian postal codes, also known as postcodes, consist of four digits and are written after the name of the city, suburb, or town, and the state or territory. For example, "SYDNEY NSW 2000".
The format of an Australian address with a postal code is as follows:
Recipient Name
100 Citizen Road
BLACKTOWN NSW 2148
When writing the address by hand, if a row of four boxes is pre-printed on the lower right-hand corner of the envelope, the postal code may be written in those boxes.
You can find an Australian postal code by using a postal code finder or lookup tool, which allows you to search and check postcodes for suburbs and locations in Australia. These tools are available on websites such as Australia Post and Europacco.
