There could be a reply message, of sorts, Sebastopol residents have been waiting to receive.
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The Courier understands Australia Post has begun the process to establish a community postal agent in the suburb, which has been without a post office since early 2021. This came as Australia Post relocated the service to Delacombe Town Centre.
Community postal agents are more common in small, regional towns and sit within an existing business. Agents can offer basic postage services, stamp sales and over-the-counter mail acceptance and delivery.
But agents do not take bill payments and banking.
Sebastopol residents had clamoured against the unexpected closure of their suburb's long-established post office when this was announced in December 2020. Until then, there had been a post office in various forms in the Borough since 1857.
Two other nearby post offices - Mount Clear and Redan - are within three kilometres of the Sebastopol branch but this has been of little comfort to residents.
Fifth generation Sebastopol resident Chris Glare, who is in her early 70s, said the main concerns were limited transport and access to essential services, including banking, for a predominantly ageing and disadvantaged community.
"Having to go to Delacombe or Mount Clear is impossible...It's certainly not within walking distance or appropriate for a scooter," Ms Glare said.
Her husband is treasurer for Sebastopol Lions' Club and for their church and they had to travel for business purposes.
She said there had been great change in the Borough but it was still a bustling area.
Fellow Sebastopol resident Faye Walsh, who is in her late 70s, has been left to go into central Ballarat for her banking in what she said was a "damn nuisance".
"I don't think they have bothered to consider older people who don't have a computer but still have bills to pay," Ms Walsh said. "We lost our post office and bank at the same time. It's been an inconvenience."
In a letter seen by The Courier and dated this week, Australia Post's government affairs team confirmed an expression of interest process is opening to find a potential partner "who can effectively provide postal services to the residents in Sebastopol".
Ballarat federal MP Catherine King, who is now the infrastructure, transport and regional development minister, said while this was not the return of a full postal service, it was the start to restoration for Sebastopol.
Ms King also said the Commonwealth Bank had started to show interest of a return to some services in the suburb.
The Commonwealth Bank branch in Sebastopol had been the suburb's only bank when it closed in May 2020. The bank shut its ATM in August the year later.
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Shopping in Sebastopol has since begun a resurgence, headlined by a new Coles supermarket overhaul last year and destination shopping and food options.
"Now [Australia Post] is acknowledging there is a need for important services and is establishing a community postal agency," Ms King said. "There are a few CPAs about the electorate but it's good they are bringing a postal service back to Sebas.
"I encourage businesses in Sebastopol to show an expression of interest - in order to get it, we need expressions of interest."
Ms King said her office could help direct businesses to get in touch with the Commonwealth Bank and Australia Post.
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