Photography: Renee Thurston | Styling: Madeleine Lawler
An air of old-world romance is palpable at The Post Office in Waratah, in Tasmania’s wild north-west region. It’s an intoxicating narrative of candlelight and steam rising from a claw-foot tub. It’s where full-bodied merlots are sipped from delicate cut crystal, and shapely vases overflow with blooms.
Just beyond the rippled glass of the century-old sash windows, dense mists and snowfall cloak the isolated village and disappear into the thundering gully of Waratah Falls, just across the road. The historic mining town of Waratah was developed on Tommeginer Country in the 1870s after tin deposits were discovered at Mt Bischoff, less than one kilometre away.
The tin mine brought unprecedented wealth to Tasmania, and Waratah’s population swelled to 5000. There was a local brass band and a picture theatre, and the post office became the central communication hub for the west coast. The post office was built in 1913, replacing the original c.1882 structure, which, according to historical accounts, was draughty and far from watertight.
When the mine closed in the 1940s, the township dwindled. Today, the population hovers at around 250 people, and the surviving buildings lie quietly on the edge of the ancient Tarkine wilderness. And yet, echoes of Waratah’s booming past reverberate within the post office’s walls.
Over time, the building operated as the local library and bank. The metal bank safe door remains, and tales of a botched bank heist add a scandalous footnote to the building’s long history.
In 2022, Hobart couple Madeleine Lawler, 40, and Andy Rhodes, 47, purchased the heritage-listed building after a six-month search across Tasmania for an investment property and holiday home with character. The post office’s perfectly preserved details, such as the heavy cedar counter, the grand arched windows, and the four-metre-high, pressed-tin ceilings crafted from local tin, enchanted the duo immediately.
Stay at The Post Office
Thie historic post office-turned-BNB in Waratah, Tasmania offers old-world glamour and modern creature comforts, surrounded by breathtaking wilderness. You can book this charming two-bedroom stay on Airbnb.
You can also find @thepostoffice_waratah on Instagram.
“When I saw the listing online, I couldn’t believe something like that was available,” says Madeleine, who is the executive manager at Services Australia in Hobart. “We did a 10-hour round trip to view it and drove 750 kilometres that day. We were very keen and put in an offer straight away.”
The building was converted into a private residence in 2018 by previous owners who installed a kitchen, added a bathroom, and transformed the original cedar counter into the kitchen bench. Madeleine and Andy wanted to amplify the historic feeling and reinstate lost elements such as architraves and four-panelled doors.
“Andy and I are DIY-ers, but we’re not builders. We have modest skills,” Madeleine says. “I’d originally thought it would be a quick renovation, taking six to eight weeks. So naive! It ended up taking seven months.”
The couple squeezed working bees between family commitments and busy full-time jobs – Andy also works for Services Australia in Hobart.
They repaired plasterwork and removed half-height internal walls, opening up the living space and allowing the daylight to seep into all corners. “The windows are perfectly positioned to get the most beautiful light at any time of the day,” says Madeleine.
She trawled Facebook Marketplace and scrapyards for months to find architectural features that fit the grand proportions. “I finally found a lady in Devonport selling old architraves and the exact-sized doors, which was amazing because our doorways are much bigger than standard,” she adds.
The property is a beautiful mix of the old and new in a really serene place that you potentially wouldn’t have gone to before. But once you’re there, you won’t want to leave.
A swathe of sumptuous black velvet and a half-sized wall separate the primary bedroom from the communal areas.
Once a drab laundry, the second bedroom is a dreamy sanctum with a claw-foot tub. “That room took the most work. It was a total gut job,” Madeleine shares. And the elegant pedestal sink that feels like it belongs to the building? “It came from the Burnie tip shop – 30 bucks!”
Working with a limited budget, Madeleine knew she could make a bold statement with paint. “I was nervous about choosing a colour, but I looked out the window and saw the green rolling hills, and I knew I needed to bring the outside in.”
Madeleine drenched the entryway in deep olive, bringing the colour across the ceiling for an enveloping feel. “Even Andy was a bit hesitant. But we definitely got the wow factor we were looking for.”
The Post Office inspires wows even before you step through its cedar double doors. The ornate exterior fretwork and original signage give the building a sweet, storybook look.
Madeleine and Andy rent it out for short holiday stays, weddings and photo shoots, and regularly block out weekends for themselves. Guests’ glowing reviews often refer to the captivating nostalgic mood and the level of detail in the decor.
“The property is a beautiful mix of the old and new in a really serene place that you potentially wouldn’t have gone to before. But once you’re there, you won’t want to leave,” says Madeleine.
As a design enthusiast with dreams of a career in interiors, Madeleine has enjoyed adding layers to the property’s deeply ingrained story with her striking curation of unique and antique homewares. “It’s really lovely to include my beautiful vintage things and special pieces in The Post Office,” says Madeleine. “It really makes it feel like an escape from the real world.”
Shop the look
Stitch velvet armchair in Juniper Olive
Early Settler, $999 (usually $1299)
39cm bronze candlestick
Temple & Webster, $54.99
Stonewashed cotton navy stripe sheets
Adairs, from $69.99
Haiku jute rug 230 x 160cm
Miss Amara, $349
