South ward councillor Des Hudson, state MP for Buninyong Michaela Settle and federal representative Catherine King all appeared outside the current post office on Albert Street on Tuesday.

The closure of the branch has not been widely known in the community until now.

Australia Post confirmed this week the licensee plans to close that outlet - which has been open more than four decades - and open up in Delacombe Town Centre.

WILL YOU BE AFFECTED BY THE POST OFFICE CLOSURE IN SEBAS? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW

For Joan Brown, a local resident of more than 40 years, the news comes as a bitter blow. Ms Brown, who does not drive, is worried about accessing services in the area - particularly as the post office branch now is the only place locally that allows her to pay bills since the Commonwealth Bank closed its doors.

"I will have to jump on buses, won't I? I am 87, so I am creeping up, you know - and it's about time they thought of us old people.

"You walk down the street, everything's closed, the bank's closed, it's not right what's going on here."

While two other post offices - at Mount Clear and Redan - are within three kilometres of the Sebastopol branch, it is also little comfort for another local resident, Theresia Houghton.

"I've never seen that post office not busy," said Ms Houghton, who also does not drive.

"I don't normally protest, I really don't - but what's going to happen here? All we've virtually got left is Coles and a couple of little shops. It's ridiculous."

Councillor Des Hudson was the first to flag the potential closure to The Courier. He said the greatest impact would be felt most by Sebastopol's extensive older community.

"The issue for a lot of Sebas residents that are ageing - like my own parents [who] are 92 and 88 - is that they would rely on the post office for their paying of bills".

He said he was disappointed by the way the communication had been handled, describing the closure as being revealed "by stealth."

Local state MP Michaela Settle said the closure was "really distressing" for Sebastopol residents. "It's wonderful for Delacombe to grow and get all these new services, but it shouldn't be at the expense of one of the finest suburbs in Ballarat," Ms Settle said.

"There's a bit of community sentiment that somebody else should step in - so we have to find that person."

In a statement, Australia Post confirmed the licensee had decided to relocate.

"The relocation will allow them to better support the growth in the surrounding area.

"The outlet is currently servicing many of these customers as their parcels are carded to the outlet.

"The business has also outgrown the current premises and requires a larger shop to better service the existing customer base and to have greater capacity for the parcels received."

However, Catherine King said she was "shocked" and "furious" to find out about the impending closure. She called on Australia Post to find a way of keeping a branch in the Sebastopol area.

"They should tender out the license and keep these premises open. If they decided not to tender out the license, then that would be... very disappointing."

"Australia Post is owned by the government, it's owned by us as taxpayers. Frankly we saw some very dubious decisions made by the former CEO of Australia Post.

"If you can spend money on Cartier watches, then I think you can spend money on keeping this postal service that is so vital to this community open."

An Australia Post spokesperson responded: "We believe the current Sebastopol location is well serviced with Mt Clear and Redan LPO's located within 3kms.

"As always we'll continue to consult with the community regarding their ongoing needs."

The Delacombe Town Centre post office is scheduled to open its doors on February 6 next year.

WILL YOU BE AFFECTED BY THE POST OFFICE CLOSURE IN SEBAS? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW