Not only will you be able to pick up your packages and post letters, but in the new Australia Post concept store, customers can also do some shopping, try on their new online purchases and grab a coffee while they wait.

The store opened in Orange in central-west NSW. Australia Post is planning to open more of these community hubs in Williamstown in Victoria, Burnie in Tasmania and Noosa Heads in Queensland.

The national postal service will also be trailing digital queueing, where customers scan a QR code and then browse the store or grab a coffee while they wait to be called up to the counter.

Australia Post Group chief executive and managing director Paul Graham said, “Today is a landmark day for Australia Post as we reimagine the post office for the future.

“Every day our network of over 4000 post offices plays an important role in connecting Australians, particularly in regional and remote Australia.

“The way Australians use their local post office is very different Today than it was 10 years ago. We are reinventing how the post office operates to support the changing needs of our customers and readying Australia Post for the future.

“The launch in Orange will allow us to assess what resonates with customers and adapt our approach to inform what is standard across our post office network in the future, and we look forward to rolling out more locations nationally in 2024.”

Speaking to the Today Show, Graham explained that the company felt like customers were looking for a one-stop shop for services, especially in regional towns where some people have to travel a far distance to get to the post office.

“They can come here and get the parcels over the counter and can try the clothes on. If they don't fit or don't like them, they can walk back outside, hand them back over the counter, get a credit back on their account and either spend the money again or pocket it.”