StarTrack tracking

Australian courier founded in 1974 joint venture Australia Post and Qantas

StarTrack was established in 1974 under the name Multigroup Distribution Services, founded by entrepreneur Greg Poche in Sydney. Renamed Discount Freight Express in 1982, then Star Track Express in 2000, the company quickly developed in the field of messaging and parcel transport across Australia. In December 2003, StarTrack was partially acquired by two major Australian players: Australia Post and the airline Qantas each took 50% of the shares, making StarTrack a joint venture.

In 2012, Australia Post acquired the entirety of StarTrack by buying the share held by Qantas. Following this acquisition, StarTrack became a 100% subsidiary of Australia Post. In May 2014, a redesign of the visual identity integrated the iconic red postal horn of Australia Post into the blue StarTrack logo. The same year, Australia Post reorganized its activities into two branches: the "red" Australia Post branch for traditional mail and postal services, and the "blue" StarTrack branch for all parcel, express delivery, and logistics operations. In this context, the urban courier service Messenger Post (local rapid deliveries) was integrated under the StarTrack Courier banner. Thanks to these developments, StarTrack has established itself as the parcel and logistics arm of the Australia Post group.

StarTrack national delivery services

StarTrack offers a wide range of delivery services across Australia to meet the varied needs of customers in terms of speed and reliability. These domestic services cover both urgent shipments and standard deliveries, while ensuring professional quality throughout the territory.

• Same-day delivery: this service guarantees same-day delivery in certain metropolitan areas for urgent parcels. It is ideal for shipments extremely sensitive to time constraints when immediate delivery is essential.
• Next flight delivery: with this expedited service, the parcel is shipped on the next available flight to the destination. This option is suitable for shipments that need to reach their recipient as quickly as possible and can apply to both domestic and international shipments.
• Express delivery (overnight): StarTrack's premium express delivery ensures the parcel is delivered the next business day to major cities and eligible metropolitan areas. It is a reliable and efficient solution for shipments requiring next-day receipt.
• Standard delivery: this is the most common option for non-urgent shipments. StarTrack then ensures the distribution of the parcel within a few business days, depending on the distance. This formula offers an economical solution while remaining reliable for customers who can accept a slightly longer transit time.
• StarTrack Express (national service): StarTrack Express is the comprehensive fast messaging service covering local, regional, and interstate deliveries across Australia. It offers several transit options depending on the destination: express deliveries can be made as early as the next day, or in two to three days for more remote destinations. This flexibility allows for adapting the timelines according to the route while ensuring punctuality.
• International delivery: for shipments to foreign destinations, StarTrack offers shipping services to most countries worldwide (over 190 destinations covered). The transport time depends on the destination and the chosen shipping method. International parcels benefit from Australia Post's global postal network and its partners, ensuring efficient delivery to the destination country.

Thanks to these different options, StarTrack stands out for the speed of its domestic deliveries. The majority of parcels shipped via express service arrive at their destination in a very short time (often the next day in major urban centers). Even standard formulas offer reasonable timelines, allowing shippers to choose the service best suited to the urgency and importance of each shipment. All these national services are supported by a high-performance infrastructure and an experienced logistics team, making StarTrack deliveries reliable and punctual throughout the Australian territory.

StarTrack freight and logistics services

In addition to parcel messaging, StarTrack has a dedicated Freight division for large or heavy shipments, primarily for professional customers. StarTrack's freight services allow for handling large goods, pallets, or bulk cargo requiring special handling. Transport is carried out via different modes according to needs: by road (trucks and semi-trailers), by air (cargo planes), and even by rail for certain routes, ensuring efficient delivery throughout Australia.

Thanks to its logistics expertise, StarTrack can manage special shipments that go beyond simple parcels. For example, the company offers tailor-made solutions for goods requiring specific loading equipment (such as delivery with a tail lift and a two-person team for very heavy or bulky items). These freight services are adapted to various industrial and commercial needs: whether it is supplying retail outlets with bulky stock, transporting goods between warehouses, or shipping specialized equipment, StarTrack offers a complete logistics solution. This ability to handle heavy freight and orchestrate multimodal transports strengthens StarTrack's position as a preferred logistics partner for Australian businesses.

StarTrack international shipping services

StarTrack also enables businesses and individuals in Australia to ship parcels internationally reliably. Relying on Australia Post's global network and partnerships with other international postal and logistics operators, StarTrack serves a very large number of destinations worldwide. Customers can send parcels to Asia, Europe, America, or elsewhere, benefiting from comprehensive support from pickup in Australia to final delivery in the destination country.

StarTrack's international services include end-to-end tracking and solutions tailored for both small shipments (documents, light parcels) and larger volumes related to e-commerce, for example. StarTrack offers international shipping options combining speed and controlled cost, while providing assistance for customs formalities to facilitate the clearance of goods. Thanks to the group's customs expertise and coordination with local partners (notably with Singapore Post for the Asian region), international shipments via StarTrack proceed smoothly. It should be noted that while StarTrack facilitates shipments from Australia to over 190 countries, its operational infrastructure is primarily concentrated in Australia (abroad, the last segment delivery is generally carried out by the postal or logistics partner of the destination country).

StarTrack logistics network

To provide these services across the country, StarTrack relies on a vast logistics network covering all of Australia. The company has dozens of facilities across the territory, including sorting centers, regional depots, and distribution sorting centers in all major cities. This dense network allows for optimal processing and delivery of parcels, minimizing delays between each stage of transit.

StarTrack's fleet includes thousands of road transport vehicles (local delivery vans, intercity messaging trucks, and semi-trailers for heavy freight), allowing it to ensure land connections over short and long distances. Furthermore, thanks to its integration with Australia Post, StarTrack has access to dedicated air links for the rapid transport of parcels between major centers. Indeed, a partnership with Qantas Freight provides several cargo planes operating daily for Australia Post and StarTrack, ensuring effective national air coverage (including to remote or regional destinations).

StarTrack has also invested in modern logistics technologies, such as automated sorting systems and real-time tracking solutions, to optimize its operations. Its entire infrastructure: from high-tech logistics centers to vehicles equipped with GPS tracking systems - allows for maintaining a high level of service quality. Whether in dense urban areas, regional cities, or even remote regions of the Australian bush, StarTrack is able to deliver shipments thanks to this robust and extensive infrastructure. This integrated logistics network, combined with the support of Australia Post's postal network, ensures StarTrack an unmatched reach in the Australian domestic market.

StarTrack partnerships

As a subsidiary of Australia Post, StarTrack benefits from an organic partnership with the Australian post. This internal synergy translates into the complementarity of their services: Australia Post provides its retail postal network (post offices, mail carriers) and its reputation with the general public, while StarTrack focuses on parcel logistics and express transport. The merger of the two entities, confirmed by the total acquisition of StarTrack by Australia Post in 2012, allows offering customers a unified and coherent offer for parcel shipping, whether via traditional postal channels or via StarTrack's express services.

StarTrack also collaborates closely with Qantas, the main Australian airline, for its air freight needs. Historically a shareholder of StarTrack, Qantas continues today to operate a fleet of cargo planes dedicated to Australia Post/StarTrack shipments. This air partnership ensures the availability of fast connections between major metropolises and allows for effectively managing the volume increase related to online commerce. For example, night cargo flights transport freight daily between major sorting centers (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, etc.), ensuring express delivery as early as the next morning over long distances.

Internationally, StarTrack relies on alliances with foreign postal operators to deliver parcels to the final recipient. Notably, a partnership with Singapore Post strengthens StarTrack's presence in the Asia-Pacific region: parcels destined for Asian countries can transit through Singapore Post's network, benefiting from its local knowledge and regional infrastructure. In general, StarTrack's relationships with postal and carrier partners abroad allow offering Australian shippers continuity of service beyond borders. These global partnerships, combined with the strength of Australia Post's domestic network, make StarTrack a well-connected player on the international logistics scene.

Services for businesses and e-commerce

StarTrack addresses a large part of its services to businesses, online merchants, and professional shippers. As a B2B/B2C-oriented provider, the company offers tailor-made solutions to support the supply chain and logistics of e-commerce in Australia. Professional customers have the option to open a business account with StarTrack to benefit from dedicated advantages: negotiated rates based on shipping volumes, scheduled parcel pickups, and personalized customer support.

On the technological front, StarTrack provides powerful online tools to manage shipments. Through the digital platform (integrated with Australia Post), businesses can easily prepare and edit their shipping labels, schedule parcel collections at their warehouse, track the progress of each shipment in real-time, and obtain detailed reports. Integration with e-commerce platforms is facilitated through supported APIs and connectors: StarTrack can thus connect to more than a hundred e-commerce and management solutions (online sales platforms, marketplaces, order management software, etc.), automating parcel creation and tracking information feedback to merchant sites.

StarTrack also offers complementary logistics services highly appreciated by merchants. For example, the company specializes in stock distribution and store supply: it can transport goods directly from a central warehouse to stores or retail outlets (warehouse to store deliveries), thus managing restocking. It also handles product returns management on behalf of e-merchants: a parcel returned by a final customer can be picked up and transported to the seller or a returns processing center, with tracking throughout the process. These value-added services make StarTrack a true logistics partner for businesses, capable of integrating into their global logistics chain beyond simple delivery.

By choosing StarTrack, Australian businesses have a unique provider capable of covering all their transport needs: express delivery to end customers, economical standard shipping, international shipments, heavy freight transport, and even internal logistics solutions. This integrated offer, combined with StarTrack's recognized reliability and the support of the Australia Post network, helps e-commerce and industry players optimize their delivery operations and offer their own customers a high-performance service.

StarTrack tracking number and shipment tracking

Each shipment handled by StarTrack is assigned a unique tracking number, allowing shippers and recipients to track the progress of the parcel in real-time. A StarTrack tracking number is generally composed of 8 to 15 alphanumeric characters. Depending on the type of shipment and the service used, the exact format may vary, but most numbers follow a common pattern: they often start with two letters, followed by a series of numbers, and end with two letters indicative of the country of origin or service.

For domestic shipments within Australia, StarTrack tracking numbers frequently start with the letters PA or PJ, followed by a sequence of 9 digits, and end with the code AU (indicating Australia). An example of a domestic format would be PA123456789AU. For international shipments, the tracking number often takes the form of a code starting with RX, followed by a variable combination of letters and numbers, with the last two characters also representing the country of origin of the shipment (for example, CN for China or US for the United States). These formats partially comply with international postal standards, allowing for parcel tracking abroad via partner networks.

It should be noted that the format of tracking numbers may evolve over time and StarTrack's internal systems. Nevertheless, regardless of the format, the tracking number remains the main tool for obtaining detailed information on the status of a parcel in transit. By entering this number on the StarTrack or Australia Post online portal, both the shipper and the recipient can view the event history (pickups, sorting scans, departures and arrivals at facilities, etc.) and know the latest update regarding delivery.

When tracking a StarTrack shipment, different statuses are displayed to describe each stage of the parcel's journey. Below are some common StarTrack tracking statuses and their meaning in English: