Halls Creek Post Office

European settlement in Halls Creek (Kimberley, WA) began in 1885 when gold was discovered in the area. Within a year, the Kimberley goldrush was underway and some 3,000 people were "combing the spinifex-covered hillsides and stony gullies" around Halls Creek. The goldrush peaked in 1887, by which time 10,000 people had arrived in the Kimberley, and was over by 1889. In 1888, the Colonial Government funded a telegraph line from Derby to Wyndham via Halls Creek which was completed in 1889.

The Halls Creek Post Office was constructed for the Public Works Department in 1889, and is unusual as a historical Australian civic building in that it was built of mud bricks, reputedly made from antbed (termite mounds) and spinifex. It remained in continual use until around 1960, by which time the township of Halls Creek had been relocated 16km to the west, due to long-standing problems at the original townsite with reliable water supplies and access during seasonal flooding.

Most buildings at the original Halls Creek site were relocated or recycled for building materials. The Post Office building was no exception, and lost its roof soon after being abandoned. It is believed that corrugated iron roofing from both the Halls Creek Post Office and Police Station was reused at Balgo Mission. Following the removal of roofing material, the Post Office walls began to decay rapidly.

The Post Office building was constructed of 600mm thick external and 400mm thick internal mud brick walls, with timber roof frame and corrugated iron roofing. Historical photographs indicate that the building was surrounded by a "generous" verandah providing both shade and protection for the walls from wet season rains. The roof featured several gables incorporating ventilators. The joinery was of timber, and parts of the floor were of stone. Slate was used for mantle pieces and decorative arches above fireplaces.