Postcode Search

Matching a Locality and Postcode

An exact match is a listed locality with the same name as your entry that also matches any state or postcode you entered. The search ignores capitals, spaces, hyphens, full stops and apostrophes, so Kippa Ring finds KIPPA-RING. It also treats Saint and St, and Mt and Mount, as the same word, so either spelling finds the place.

A partial match is a listed name that contains your entry. Partial names appear after the exact records, starting with names that begin with your entry. Type at least two letters to see them. A long list of partial names shows the first 50, so add letters or choose a state to narrow it.

Many place names belong to more than one state. Search Richmond with no state or postcode, and the tool lists six exact records: NSW 2753, QLD 4740, QLD 4822, SA 5033, TAS 7025 and VIC 3121. Queensland has two places called Richmond with different postcodes, so choosing QLD still leaves two records. The 11 partial names below them include Richmond Hill, Richmond Vale and West Richmond.

To use the search as a postcode checker, enter the locality, state and postcode from the application. Richmond, VIC and 3121 returns Listed. Richmond, VIC and 3000 returns No match, and the table shows which detail differs: Richmond in Victoria is listed at 3121, and 3000 is listed for Melbourne.

To find the localities for a postcode, leave the locality blank. Postcode 2540 lists 70 localities. The directory groups HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay and Wreck Bay under the ACT postal code, matching Australia Post's directory. Enter Northern Territory postcodes with their leading zero: 0800 lists Darwin and Darwin City.

Every result pairs a place name with a postcode. A listed combination tells you nothing about a street, house number or unit. Results show names in capitals because Australia Post's addressing guidelines ask for capitals on the locality, state and postcode line.

What an Address Check Establishes

A listed result establishes one fact: the locality, state and postcode appear together in the directory. It does not show that the street address exists, that the borrower lives there or which property the address describes.

Residence is shown by documents that carry the borrower's name at that address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. The lender's verification requirements decide which documents it accepts.

A property is identified by its title search, which records the land description and the registered owner. A matching suburb and postcode cannot tell two properties in the same street apart.

Each lender sets its own postcode policy. A listed combination here is not a lender's acceptance of that postcode. Once the postcode is confirmed, look it up in the lender's current policy.

The directory is the GeoNames postal code data for Australia, and it includes some names that Australia Post's postcode finder does not show. It lists Darwin under both 0800 and 0801, while Australia Post lists Darwin at 0801 and Darwin City at 0800. It also lists Parliament House at ACT 2600, which Australia Post does not. An unmatched entry means only that the name is missing from this directory. Search it on the Australia Post finder before treating the address as wrong.