Australia Post will begin the development of six new greenfield sites in New South Wales (NSW) as part of a multimillion-dollar investment plan aimed at boosting parcel capacity and improving services across rural and regional communities.

The purpose-built facilities in Tumut, Leeton, Casino, Deniliquin, Forbes and Byron Bay are designed to increase processing capability to between 900 parcels to 2,200 parcels per day, as well as improve operational safety and efficiency.

According to Australia Post, sustainability is a key focus of the expansion, with all sites featuring 50kW rooftop solar power generation, and a number also investing in rainwater harvesting and electric vehicle-charging capability.

Shane Plant, Australia Post general manager – network development and support services, said, “In New South Wales, we’ve seen online purchases increase by 2.8% year-on-year, with data indicating that 82% of NSW households are now shopping online [according to Australia Post Group parcels data, 2018 to 2024].

“As regional areas increasingly depend on e-commerce due to fewer physical retail offerings, these purpose-built sites will enable Australia Post to meet the growing parcel demand in these regions.

“Beyond speed and efficiency, we’re focused on providing safer workplaces for our team members and building environmentally responsible infrastructure that can serve communities well unto the future.”

The details and timelines for each of these new sites are as follows:

• Tumut: Construction has commenced on the 600m² site, with plans to open in late 2025.
• Leeton: Construction on the 1,105m² site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening toward the end of that year.
• Casino: Construction on the 1,350m² site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening toward the end of that year.
• Deniliquin: Construction on the 1,335m² site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening toward the end of that year.
• Forbes: Construction on the 1,796m² site will begin in early 2026, with an expected opening toward the end of that year.
• Byron Bay: Construction on the 3,072m² site will begin in mid-2026, with the site expected to open by mid-2027.

As part of this regional expansion, a brownfield site has also been secured in Narrandera. Further brownfield sites in Cooma and Ballina are in lease negotiations.

Author Credits- HAZEL KING, Parcel and postal technology INTERNATIONAL