Petition launched for new post office in Armstrong Creek

ARMSTRONG Creek residents have launched a petition calling on Australia Post to open a second post office within the rapidly growing township.

The petition was initiated last week by Lobna Aker, the owner of the NewsXpress located within the Warralily Shopping Centre, after discussions with local residents.

“Everybody here [is] asking for a post office in the shopping centre,” she said.

“It’s actually a small shopping centre, but it has everything. [There are] lots of shops around here and it’s a growing area.”

Armstrong Creek is presently served by a small post office located at the south entrance of the Armstrong Creek Town Centre.

It opened in July 2021 following a successful community campaign, led by Corangamite federal member Libby Coker, which resulted in a 1,700-signature strong petition.

But Ms Aker said the Post Office was already unable to keep up with the demand, with locals often left waiting in hour-long lines to collect their mail.

Others have to travel to Grovedale or Waurn Ponds.

The petition has already gathered more than 300 signatures.

According to the 2021 Census, Armstrong Creek presently has a population of more than 11,000.

This is forecast to grow to more than 25,000 by 2041.

Armstrong Creek resident Dan McCormack said the region had quickly become one of Geelong’s major suburbs, with the population growing by thousands each year.

“I find that the post office at Armstrong Creek Town Centre can be a little bit over serviced,” he said.

“There’s really long lines that run out the doors some days.”

He said ongoing development across the township, and the resulting increase in traffic, had also made the existing post office harder to access, and a second post office, even if it is only a small one, would help to improve the experience for local residents.

“The area is just exploding, and it definitely needs that serviceability across the board,” he said.

An Australia Post spokesperson said the corporation constantly reviews its network and customer demand, particularly in growth areas.

“We continue to monitor postal services in the Armstrong Creek area and are working with the Post Office licences to support them with the recent increase in customers.

“New free 24/7 parcel lockers will be installed in Armstrong Creek in the coming weeks to provide locals with another convenient and secure option to send and receive parcels.”