Pyrmont Post Office is a heritage-listed former post office and now bank branch office located at 148 Harris Street, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Pyrmont in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the Government Architect’s Office under Walter Liberty Vernon. The property is owned by Australia Post, an agency of the Commonwealth Government of Australia. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004 and to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000. History History of Pyrmont Pyrmont was isolated from early Sydney and initial development in the area was generally related to waterfront industries, such as shipyards. The establishment of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company shipyard on Darling Island, plus several other industrial enterprises, including Charles Saunders' stone quarry, brought a residential population of workers, though anyone of means tended to travel to the area from somewhere more desirable. The opening of the Pyrmont Bridge across Darling Harbour in the 1850s facilitated development in both industry and population. Several large businesses became established in Pyrmont in the late nineteenth century, including Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) and the woolstores began to move here during the 1880s. A new bridge in 1901, the opening of the power stations (Ultimo Power Station in 1899 and Pyrmont Power Station in 1904) and the extension of wharfage around the waterfront from Darling Harbour cemented the industrial character of the peninsula and it remained this way until after the end of World War II. With only a few notable exceptions, residential development remained largely working class and in fact progressively reduced in size as the new industries demolished housing to accommodate larger premises. After World War II, though, most of the characterising industries either ceased operating or moved to other locations. Since the 1970s, redevelopment of the area has moved slowly, with numerous schemes and proposals. Many of the industrial buildings have been demolished or converted to other uses. Australian postal history The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when the Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first Postmaster in the colony of NSW. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived, however this system was neither reliable nor secure. In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered