The story goes like this. Pêro de Ataíde, a captain in Cabral’s fleet, put into the bay after a storm and left behind a report of the disaster, in an old shoe he hung from this tree. That was 1500 or 1501, depending on the source. The letter was found by João da Nova, the man it was meant for, who built a small chapel nearby. That chapel is regarded as the first Christian place of worship in South Africa. The tree is a white milkwood, Sideroxylon inerme, and today a national monument.
- the letter in the shoe, depending on the source
- 1500 or 1501
- Sideroxylon inerme, a national monument
- Milkwood
- the postbox, with its own cancellation
- A boot
- entry through the Dias Museum
- Museum
The tree now stands inside the museum grounds, so you pay the Dias Museum entry and walk through the garden to reach it. Underneath it sits the boot shaped postbox. Anything you post there gets a special cancellation and then travels like ordinary mail. Bring your own card and stamp. Opening times are the museum’s: Monday to Friday 9am to 4.45pm, weekends 9am to 3.45pm (August 2026).
- Time needed
- a quarter of an hour, longer with the museum
- Cost
- included in the museum entry (August 2026)
- When
- museum hours
- From the Dias Museum
- right there
Our tipWrite the card before you go into the museum and post it at the tree. The stamp is the souvenir.
Post Office Tree: frequently asked questions
Why is the tree in Mossel Bay called the Post Office Tree?
Because in 1500 or 1501, depending on the source, the Portuguese captain Pêro de Ataíde hung a report in a shoe from this milkwood, and João da Nova found it later. That makes the tree in Mossel Bay the oldest post office in South Africa, and a postbox still stands under it.
Can you really post letters at the Post Office Tree?
Yes. Under the tree in the garden of the Dias Museum in Mossel Bay stands a postbox shaped like a boot. What you drop in gets a special cancellation and is delivered normally. Bring your own card and stamp.
Where is the Post Office Tree, and does it cost anything?
On the grounds of the Dias Museum on Market Street in Mossel Bay, between the harbour and Santos Beach. You pay the museum entry and walk through the garden to the tree; opening times are the museum’s (August 2026).