Deadline looms for sending Christmas parcels – here's the final posting dates
With only eight sleeps until Santa arrives, stores are starting to fill up with more last-minute shoppers, so if you decide to avoid the crowds and shop for presents online or mail gifts to loved ones, these are the dates Australia Post want you to know about.
If you are mailing items within Australia via regular post, the delivery date will depend on where the person is located.
Mailing interstate
If you are sending or expecting mail from one state capital city to another outside of your state, you could wait as little as two business days or as many as six business days.
So if you want to make sure those presents arrive by December 24, the last day you should mail items, just to be safe, is December 17.
Here are the time frames for mailing interstate.
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Sydney
If you are mailing parcels from Sydney you should allow two to three business days for items arriving at Brisbane and Melbourne.
Sydney mail heading to Adelaide will take three to four business days.
Melbourne
From Melbourne to Sydney, Canberra or Adelaide you will need to allow two to three business days for delivery.
Melbourne to Brisbane and Tasmania will take around three to four business days to arrive.
Adelaide
Mail going to Canberra will take three to four business days to arrive.
Between all other capitol cities
Between all other capital cities you can expect five to six business days for delivery.
Mailing from within the same state
Even sending mail from one side of your state to the other could take longer than expected, so to make sure your loved ones get their gifts by Christmas Eve, you need to mail them no later than December 18.
It will take two business days for mail within metropolitan areas of capital cities, or within the same city, town or locality to arrive.
Between metropolitan area of a capital city and a rural location, you will be waiting around four business days to arrival.
If you are sending mail from one rural area to another rural area, it can take up to five business days to reach the recipient.
Sending overseas
If you haven’t already send your mail to international locations, you only have one postage option left.
You will have to send Express internal mail by December 17.
Cards and letters
If you want to put pen to paper and send a Christmas card or letter, the standard mail time frame applies but Australia post advise taking into consideration your destination.
Regular mail will get your cards to their recipient within two to six business days.
Priority mail will see letters arrive a little faster in one to four business days.
Registered mail will arrive between two to six business days and you will be able to follow its journey with a tracking number.
Last minute mail
For those who like to live on the edge and wait until the very last minute to send Christmas mail, Express Post is the best option which promises to get your mail to its location on Christmas Eve as long as you mail it no later than the morning of December 23.
Extended Australia Post opening hours
Some Australia Post offices will be extending opening hours until December 20 to accommodate holiday mail. You can check the hours of your local Aus Post Shop here.
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