Shocking behaviour: See what this postie did to an unsuspecting man's lawn!

We often take pride in our homes and gardens; it's disheartening to hear about instances where the care and effort put into maintaining a beautiful lawn are disregarded.

This is precisely what happened to Gold Coast resident Mr Paul Goodwin, a 71-year-old who has dedicated 27 years to creating a home he can be proud of.

His commitment to his property is evident, especially in how he treats his lawn. However, his efforts were recently undermined by the very service meant to bring convenience to his doorstep.


Mr Goodwin was left frustrated and angry when he discovered that his local Australia Post rider had repeatedly driven over his front lawn, leaving unsightly track marks and damage.

The incident, which occurred during the last week of March, affected the appearance of his well-manicured grass and left muddy marks on his newly renovated driveway.

‘They've come across the lawn and just marked the top of it, so it's obvious they have driven across it while it was wet,' Mr Goodwin explained.

'The next day they've come across and just done a bloody burnout across my grass, it dug into the grass by about four inches in some parts,' he lamented.


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Mr Goodwin alleges that his local Australia Post driver is behind the damage to his lawn. Image Source: Yahoo News


The situation was made worse because Mr Goodwin had to personally scrub the driveway to remove the marks, which, he claims, have not disappeared.

His next-door neighbor experienced similar disrespect to their property, although the damage was reportedly not as severe.

Mr Goodwin's bewilderment is understandable.He questioned the necessity of the postie's choice to drive over his lawn when there was ample space to navigate around the letterbox and deliver the mail without causing harm.

'They could have driven round the other side of the letterbox where there's ample room to put some mail... how hard can it be to find an alternate route and avoid this type of damage,' he said, voicing the frustration many homeowners would feel in his position.


Upon reaching out to Australia Post, Mr Goodwin was informed that the specific postie would receive feedback regarding his complaint, but no further action or compensation was offered.

An Australia Post worker responded to Mr Goodwin saying, ‘Please be aware that Australia Post is one of the few organisations that can operate motor vehicles on the footpath or nature strip.’

They continued, saying, ‘This legislation is usually included at both state and council levels. However, this does not mean that our Posties can intentionally cause damage to the nature strip area.’

Mr Goodwin reacted to this by saying, 'To do something like that is absolute vandalism and for no one to come talk to me locally, I thought they [Australia Post] would have had a better response.'

Australia Post has yet to comment further on the matter.


Source: TikTok / @mickey_mouse_bathrooms


Mr Goodwin's experience is not an isolated one. In Coffs Harbour, NSW, another resident took matters into their own hands by creating a makeshift fence out of bright orange plastic material, stretched between their mailbox and a bin, to deter posties from driving over their lawn after similar incidents of damage.

These stories raise questions about the balance between efficient mail delivery and respect for private property.

While Australia Post riders have certain privileges to facilitate their work, homeowners like Mr Goodwin are left wondering where the line is drawn between operational necessity and vandalism.
Key Takeaways

  • A Gold Coast resident, Mr Paul Goodwin, has expressed his frustration after an Australia Post rider repeatedly drove over his front lawn, causing damage.
  • Mr Goodwin, who takes pride in his well-manicured grass, was left with track marks and muddy marks on his newly renovated driveway.
  • Despite reaching out to Australia Post and lodging a complaint, he was informed that the specific postie would receive feedback, but no further action or compensation was offered.
  • The incident highlights an ongoing concern with posties using nature strips and footpaths, with another resident in Coffs Harbour creating a makeshift fence to deter such behaviour.
We understand the value you place on your home and garden.

It's a reflection of your hard work and care, and it's only fair to expect others to treat it with the same respect.

One of our previous articles even suggests that caring for your lawn could be the key to living a longer life!

If you've experienced similar issues with delivery services, we encourage you to report the incidents and seek a resolution.

It's important to stand up for your rights as a homeowner and ensure that your property is treated with the consideration it deserves.

We invite our readers to share their experiences with delivery services and any measures they've taken to protect their property. Have you had to confront a similar situation? Let us know in the comments!
 
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Had the same problem in the Hunter Valley area. However, I never bothered to complain to AP about it,
because it is not the home owners lawn.

Everything from the front fence (or post box if there's no fence) to the road is council property.

Just because you may have been left with the responsibility for keeping it neat and tidy doesn't mean that you own it or have any right to block AP, or other government departments or authorised agents, from using it.

Just be thankful that the council didn't come along with a backhoe and dig it all up replace the grass with gravel leaving backhoe tracks across your driveway.

They can, anytime they want, and there's nothing you can do about it.
 
By the photo, the mailbox wall is on thr man's lawn. Why isn't it up against the footpath like in normal suburbs. The postie does not have time to go up pepoles driveways then hop off their bikes to walk around to the front to drop letters into the mailbox. Besides, driving along the footpath the postie is not on your property but they are to deliver this man's mail. Sorry but, not the posties fault 🤷‍♀️
 
By the photo, the mailbox wall is on thr man's lawn. Why isn't it up against the footpath like in normal suburbs. The postie does not have time to go up pepoles driveways then hop off their bikes to walk around to the front to drop letters into the mailbox. Besides, driving along the footpath the postie is not on your property but they are to deliver this man's mail. Sorry but, not the posties fault 🤷‍♀️
It looks to me like his letterbox is on his fence line which is where it is supposed to be. The grass in front of it belongs to the local council even though this man has tended it for years. Unfortunately, some people do not respect the work that has gone into keeping our suburbs beautiful & take delight in destroying things which they consider to be "just grass".
 
I agree with most comments. The postie is not expected to park in the gutter and walk up every driveway to deliver their mail. What a ridiculous expectation. In the photo the letterbox is a mile away and the one in the clip is a price for obstructing, having the postie to go back out on the road. Someone will rip it down. People have the right to walk along the grassed area which happens to belong to council.
 
Why couldn't we place a plain letter box at the curbside near our driveway where it would be unlikely to be obstructed by cars parked on the roadway?
Because the letter box is supposed to be at the front of your property not on council property. The postie would have no obligation to leave anything in a letter box out near the gutter. In fact, he would probably have to go out of his way to reach that letter box so definitely would not get mail in it.
 
Why couldn't we place a plain letter box at the curbside near our driveway where it would be unlikely to be obstructed by cars parked on the roadway?
That might be a possibility for those who actually have a kerb to start with except that the area belongs to the council & you are not allowed to put anything on "their" property. They have even been known to order the removal of gardens planted on the nature strip in an effort to make the street more beautiful.
 
Why couldn't we place a plain letter box at the curbside near our driveway where it would be unlikely to be obstructed by cars parked on the roadway?
Because of the risk of us placing the letter box over a utility (gas, water, sewerage) and causing a leak.
 
We have recently had two Incidents with Australia post. The first was where we posted a fragile parcel which was clearly marked as such, and wrapped appropriately for the fragility of the item. It arrived at the other end broken and in a state which could only have been caused be severe mishandling. Despite photos, and three attempts for compensation, they tried to blame us for inappropriate wrapping and packaging. Not even an apology was forthcoming. The second case was where they left a card to say they could not deliver our package as we were not home. We had received a text to say they were coming and so stayed home all day, left the heavy front door open and we have two small dogs who bark if they hear an ant. The dogs are secured so there is no threat to the Australia Post worker. There is absolutely no way they attempted to deliver that parcel, and as a result we had to make the 10 km round trip to the post office to collect it. THEY ARE A MONOPOLY, AND THEY DON'T CARE ONE BIT. Zero out of 10 for Australia Post.
 
The postie does that here too but I just have a silent chuckle because it is now so rutted near the letter box, one day when it's wet he might just fall off because of the unevenness which can't be seen because the lawn mower doesn't get down into the ditches so it all looks level.
 
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Outside the fence line is council property. Kudos to you for your meticulous maintenance. However, and unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do. Most of the deliverers are Indian in origin, and they don't give a red rats arse.
 
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Posties can'r tippy toe around lawn or garden beds near your letter box., and I think that should be controlled by your local council bylaws and should not be allowed....if you choose to having garden beds or lawn close to your letter boxes you can't expect posties to get off their scooters to hand deliver. Their job is hard enough without extra stress. Put your letter boxes in line with your footpaths, no problem then..your happy postie is happy. Problem solved.
 
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It's not his property, it's the council verge. The postman is within his rights. They cannot park up, hop off and walk to every letterbox. Yes. It leaves marks after rain softens the ground but if that's the worst of your problems, your lucky. It happens at my place too...but I don't become a Karen over it.
Council property is the front nature strip. then the footpath then the residents property line. Postie doesnt have to hop off his scoot, just lean over and deliver mail as at any other mailbox in the street.
 
The postie has a right to expect reasonable access to and between each letterbox. If a soggy lawn is the only available route then what is the postie supposed to do?
 
We had a Postie who used to delight in riding from our letterbox & then backwards towards my garage & onto my property (off the verge), to ride through my garden to get to my neighbour's letterbox. A complaint soon stopped that.

l don't agree with what the Postie is doing, regardless of this being Council verge or not. It would appear to be a deliberate attempt to destroy this gent's well manicured lawn.

l used to do letterbox deliveries of the local paper for several years on a scooter & usually found using a footpath between the road & home letterbox & then back to the road was a quicker option. I regularly rode along the kerb & found that just as quick. One thing l was also able to do was place the folded paper fully into the letterbox so as not to impede Auspost mail without coming to a halt at a letterbox (just slowing enough to make a deposit).

Numerous times l have found mail for a home on the road or in scrub several houses from the address. Incorrectly deposited by a Postie & has fallen to the ground & blown away by the wind.

With the now limited amount of mail to be delivered & a almost definite change to deliveries only twice per week l don't think a Postie can say they can't take more care because they are pushed for time.
 

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