We’ve all experienced that moment of anticipation, waiting for a parcel to arrive—perhaps it’s a birthday gift, a long-awaited online order, or something you’ve been eager to receive.
But for one man, that excitement quickly turned to confusion when his Australia Post delivery ended up not just at the wrong address, but in a location so unexpected it could have been a scene from a comedy sketch.
Instead of landing safely on his doorstep in Caringbah, in Sydney’s south, his package was found perched atop a pile of discarded furniture, leaning against a random brick building in Northbridge—over 33 kilometres away on the city’s lower north shore.
That’s a 40-minute drive, for those keeping score at home. Talk about taking the scenic route!
The man, understandably baffled, took to social media to share his experience, posting a photo of his lonely parcel sitting atop the furniture graveyard.
‘Apparently this qualifies as a “Safe Place”,’ he quipped, hoping someone might recognise the location and help him recover his wayward delivery.
To add insult to injury, the parcel was ‘clearly labelled’ with the correct address, and he had the receipt to prove it.
Yet, when he checked the tracking information, it showed the item had been delivered—just not to him.
After contacting Australia Post, he was told the global positioning system (GPS) location of the delivery didn’t match his address at all.
The matter was referred to the delivery centre, and he was promised a response within five business days.
Thankfully, there was a happy ending: Australia Post managed to retrieve the package and assured him it was now ‘on track to be delivered to the correct address’.
This isn’t the first time Australia Post has come under fire for delivery mishaps.
In December 2023, the postal service was ordered to pay $2.9 million in compensation to businesses for lost or damaged parcels over a four-year period.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found that thousands of deliveries failed to meet required standards, including about 1,000 from Australia Post’s subsidiary, StarTrack.
The compensation was part of a court-enforceable deal to help rebuild trust in the national postal service.
So, what’s the deal with ‘Safe Places’? Australia Post allows customers with a MyPost account to nominate a spot where parcels can be left if they’re not home.
According to their website, a safe place should be somewhere the parcel can’t be seen from the street—think your front porch, mailbox (if it fits), under the carport, or by the side gate.
A pile of old furniture in a random suburb? Not so much.
While it’s easy to laugh at the absurdity of this situation, it does highlight a growing frustration among Australians who rely on home delivery.
With online shopping more popular than ever, the pressure is on for postal services to get it right. After all, nobody wants to play detective just to find their latest purchase.
Have you ever had a parcel go missing, turn up in a strange place, or arrive in a less-than-ideal condition? Maybe you’ve got a story that’s even more bizarre than this one!
We’d love to hear your experiences—share your tales of postal woe (or triumph) in the comments below.
Also read: Step up your mail game with Australia Post’s newest boxes
I had a package delivery from the source in Melbourne (Victoria) to come to Adelaide (South Australia), but somehow it ended up at a “similar” address in Newcastle NSW, the address hand the name right but was a Street not Road and the house number did not exist !!
But the “Best/Worst” redirection for a Package was in the early Eighties, the trip should have only taken one day, From Adelaide to Salisbury both in South Australia, but it went via Salisbury in Queensland, Salisbury UK, Salisbury South Africa, and finally Salisbury South Australia. The package was addressed correctly, including Post Code, and took five months to finally arrive !!!
ordered some sawblades from brisbane to be delivered to humpty doo NT got a txt to say i can pick it up at the Tamworth Post Office! this was during the covid lockdown! could not get out of the state! also ordered a electric motor from sydney, sat at the local post office for over 2 months but i was never notified it was there even though i came in weekly to enquire about it! my credit card statement often arrives AFTER the last payment dates! no wonder people have abandoned australia post!