But this example of architectural “elegance”, at Nelia, turns 100 next year and is still in use as a post office.

Post mistress and unofficial Lady Mayoress of Nelia, Patricia Alloway (Pat), operates the postal service and organises four mail runs each week.

Nelia has a grand total of six houses.

The mail runs consist of two runs to the north of Nelia on Monday and Thursday of over 400km, and two to the south on Tuesday and Friday of over 300km.

Wednesday is taken up with getting station supplies from Julia Creek, 40km east of Nelia.

These supplies are delivered to the stations on the mails run and Pat says it is a service to the grazing community of the area she is happy to provide.

The mails runs are now being done by Pat’s son, Kerry, but Pat still fills in when business or other commitments take him away.

In 1980 Pat Alloway had taken a position as cook at Kilterry Station where her husband, Laurie, was renovating a house.

The then post master told her on one of the mail runs to Kilterry that he was considering leaving the area.

She asked for first right of refusal and got it.

Pat did the examinations required to become post mistress and at the time and became the post mistress at Christmas that year. She has been there ever since.

The position also had the responsibility of a party line telephone exchange which at or her husband, Laurie had to be on hand to operate day and night.

“Babies didn’t always wait till daylight to be born and people wanted to know about it or congratulate the parents on a new daughter or son or the grand parents on the new grandchild,” Pat stipulated.

*Full story in this week’s North Queensland Register, out now.