Australia Post will step up its deliveries in the lead-up to Christmas, working on Saturdays and Sundays to make sure parcels get to their destinations on time.
Weekend deliveries will be in force in all metro capitals, as well as a number of regional New South Wales towns and cities.
Australia Post has announced a major change to its operations as deliveries are expected to surge in the lead up to Christmas.
From Saturday, temporary weekend deliveries will begin in all metro capital cities, as well as a range of regional towns across Australia.
The change is expected to meet customer demand during the festive season after more than 50 million parcels were delivered in December last year.
“We delivered 52 million parcels last December and we’re expecting another huge peak season ahead, driven by the increasing popularity of cyber sales events.
“We’ve been preparing for another big sales and festive season, including recruiting thousands of additional team members, and giving customers more convenient delivery options, such as the opportunity to collect missed deliveries from free 24/7 Australia Post Parcel Lockers instead of the post office,” Australia Post executive general manager parcel, post, and e-commerce services Gary Starr said.
Online sales are expected to surge towards Christmas, after Australia Post delivered 52 million parcels last December.
Starr said the increasing popularity of cyber sales events was behind the growing demand for deliveries.
“As the sales events ramp up and online shopping surges in the lead up to Christmas, our temporary Saturday and Sunday service is just another way we are supporting our customers at the busiest time of the year,” Starr said.
Weekend deliveries will remain in place up until Christmas, depending on volumes.
To give items the best chance of arriving on time, parcels should be sent by Monday, December 18, for most destinations within Australia, the postal service says.
Express post deliveries should be sent by Thursday, December 21.
People sending to or from Western Australia and Northern Territory should allow a few extra days.
Regional towns in NSW getting weekend delivery
- Orange
- Dubbo
- Forbes
- Parkes
- Broken Hill
- Mudgee
- Lithgow
- Tamworth
- Coffs Harbour
- Grafton
- Cessnock
- Taree
- Forster
- Kempsey
- Byron Bay
- Glen Innes
- Gunnedah
- Inverell
- Armidale
