Australia Post Starts Twilight Delivery Service and Extended Trading Times Until December 23

To manage what is expected to be the busiest festive season on record, Australia Post is introducing twilight delivery service in select areas and extending hours at Post Office locations across the country.

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With over 10 million parcels being delivered every week, twilight deliveries have already started in Melbourne and Perth. In addition, Australia Post plans to extend opening hours at over 380 of its retail outlets from November 27.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Deliveries Rod Barnes said the new services were another way Australia Post was pulling out all stops to ensure parcels are delivered on time this festive season, as Australia Post meets record parcel demand.

“In the last few weeks, we have recruited almost 300 drivers specifically to hit the roads after hours across Melbourne and Perth, and we expect our twilight service to help us deliver an additional 25,000 parcels per day in these two cities alone, so if you hear one of our drivers roll up perhaps just as you’re getting home, don’t be surprised,” he added.

“Many of our Post Offices have also extended their opening times to provide our customers greater flexibility with their sending and receiving in the lead up to the big day.”

Australia Post is Ready For its biggest Christmas Ever

“We have invested in many areas to help increase our capacity, including chartering extra planes, putting more vehicles on the road, recruiting more than 5,000 new team members, and opening new permanent and temporary facilities to manage the volume,” continued Barnes.

“This year’s lockdowns across the country meant Australians were doing a lot more online shopping all at once, and in October we saw 5.7 million households shopping online, up almost 15 percent on the previous year,” he concluded.  

Customers are urged to mail Christmas gifts early before its Parcel Delivery Deadlines to ensure timely delivery by December 24.

In addition, Australia Post recommends using its App to keep track of deliveries or choose the best place to receive parcels, including at over 1,000 free 24/7 Parcel Lockers available around the country.

The app also offers updates on any service impacts on the Australia Post network.

Extended trading hours will vary by location and continue until Wednesday 23 December. Customers can check specific Post Office trading times on the Australia Post’s website here.