Australia Post will extend the trading hours of its post offices and offer a twilight delivery service in some locations as the national service is inundated with record parcel traffic.

With online shopping events like Black Friday just days away and COVID-19 continuing to separate families over Christmas, Australia Post says there are more parcels being ordered and delivered than ever before in history.

Each week the postal service is delivering more than 10 million parcels, with volumes in December expected to eclipse last year's record-breaking 52 million parcel week.

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From November 27 more than 380 Australia Post retail outlets will extend their trading hours, with the exact times dependent on your local office.

In Melbourne and Perth, posties and couriers will be delivering well into twilight in order to meet parcel demands.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Deliveries Rod Barnes said the service was "pulling out all the stops" to meet the unprecedented demand.

"In the last few weeks, we have recruited almost 300 drivers specifically to hit the roads after hours across Melbourne and Perth, and we expect our twilight service to help us deliver an additional 25,000 parcels per day in these two cities alone, so if you hear one of our drivers roll up perhaps just as you're getting home, don't be surprised," Mr Barnes said.

"Many of our Post Offices have also extended their opening times to provide our customers greater flexibility with their sending and receiving in the lead up to the big day."

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Mr Barnes said Australia Post had been long preparing for a big Christmas, but the Delta strain lockdowns meant parcel volumes have been elevated for much of the year.

"We have invested in many areas to help increase our capacity, including chartering extra planes, putting more vehicles on the road, recruiting more than 5,000 new team members, and opening new permanent and temporary facilities to manage the volume," Mr Barnes said.

"This year's lockdowns across the country meant Australians were doing a lot more online shopping all at once, and in October we saw 5.7 million households shopping online, up almost 15 per cent on the previous year."

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Australia Post Christmas Delivery cut-off dates

To ensure Christmas gifts and cards arrive on time, Australia Post has set the following deadlines:

• All parcels sent via regular post must be sent by Monday, December 13
• All parcels sent via express post must be sent by Monday, December 20
• All Christmas cards should be sent by Monday December 20 or Thursday, December 16 if going interstate

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Police believe a suspected daylight kidnapping in Western Sydney is related to a fake vaccine certificate scam.

Confronting footage of the alleged kidnapping was released today which police said ended with a man being found with stab wounds hours later.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis said it was a targeted attack and could have been related to a fake vaccination certificate scam.

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"We believe this incident is a targeted attack and may relate to a fake vaccination certificate scam and related debts," he said.

Police allege there was an exchange of money in relation to the fake certificates and "that's where the debt is concerned".

Police described the incident as an "extremely violent and brazen attack" which is depicted from several angles on the newly released video, including CCTV and at least one onlooker's mobile phone.

"Kidnapping is happening," a man can be heard saying as several men appear to struggle by the side of a black Toyota Hilux. 

"They just kidnapped the guy."

Police said the 24-year-old man was walking along Rickard Street, Merrylands, when he was approached by five men, physically assaulted and forced into the rear of a white Toyota Hiace parked nearby, just after 4pm on September 18.

They said he was taken to a vacant unit at Auburn Road, Auburn and detained for several hours before a member of the public found him about 7pm at Wellington Road, Birrong, with a stab wound to the shoulder.

In a series of videos, in addition to the Hiace with NSW plates BK59LG and Hilux with plates AMEBLD, a black Toyota CH-R thought to be driven by an associate of the victim can be seen driving along the street at speed.

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​​Video shows the car smashing into a boat and careering down the road backwards after police say one of the men struck it with a baton.

Robbery and Serious Crime Squad detectives want information about all three vehicles, none of which have been recovered. 

"This is an extremely violent and brazen attack that occurred on a suburban Sydney street on a Saturday afternoon," Detective Superintendent Koutsoufis said.

"This kind of behaviour has no place in our community and these men must be brought to account. We believe this was a targeted attack and appeal to the public for any information that may assist detectives.

"Inquiries suggest that the occupant of the black Toyota C-HR, with NSW registration plates EBJ43A, is known to the injured man and would have information crucial to this investigation."

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Police said the Hiace driver was of medium build and last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, red shorts and black running shoes.

The front passenger was of solid build and wearing a black jumper with a grey hood and red lettering on the sleeve, black track pants and pale-coloured joggers.

The other passenger was of large build, wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, black track pants, black running shoes and carrying an expandable baton.

In the Hilux, the driver was wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, black track pants and black joggers and the passenger was wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, grey track pants and black joggers with white and red soles, police said.

They were all described as Mediterranean or Middle Eastern in appearance.

The victim has been released from Liverpool Hospital, where he was taken for treatment.

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Despite Australia's booming property market, it remains possible to purchase a home with a 20 per cent deposit worth $100,000 or less in every state and territory in the country.

New data from mortgage broker Aussie revealed there are 3960 suburbs across Australia where buyers could purchase a free-standing home and avoid lenders mortgage insurance by having a deposit above 20 per cent.

Sorted by popularity per state or territory, the suburbs where potential owners can buy with a $100,000 deposit or less include Box Hill in NSW, Heidelberg West in Victoria and Carina in Queensland.

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A full breakdown of the suburbs – and the deposits required on average to buy – can be seen below.

First homebuyers frequently report the hardest part of purchasing a home is saving for the deposit, which is in many situations a more difficult task than servicing the mortgage of the purchased property.

Brad Cramb, CEO of Distribution at Aussie, said there are options for first-time buyers who do not have the required 20 per cent deposit to avoid lenders mortgage insurance.

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"You don't always need to have a 20 per cent deposit to buy a home. There are 5 per cent and 10 per cent home loan options where you can have a guarantor, access government support such as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, or pay Lenders' Mortgage Insurance, which could form part of your home loan option," Mr Cramb said.

"According to our Aussie data, close to one in five borrowers have secured a home loan with LMI in the past 12 months, helping them get their foot on the property ladder sooner.

"Some banks and lenders even offer LMI discounts or special offers, and for some professions, they can also waive LMI, so it's worth speaking to a mortgage broker to see if this could be an option for you."

A full breakdown of the data, including what suburbs may be affordable to you, can also be seen on Aussie's new Suburb Spotter Map.

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Mr Lamb said many buyers were willing to "suburb compromise" – that is move slightly outside their intended location – in order to get their foot on the market.

"In a competitive market it's important to do your homework, including considering where you might be willing to make compromises, researching suburbs where you could afford to buy a home in, and organising pre-approval," Mr Cramb added.

"Having pre-approval is also important, so when the right property comes up on the market, you can make an offer with confidence."

Most viewed suburbs for a house requiring a deposit of $100,000 or less

• New South Wales: Box Hill (10 per cent: $61,150), and Wyee (20 per cent: $83,000)
• Victoria: Heidelberg West (10 per cent: $75,000) and Dallas (20 per cent: $100,000)
• Queensland: Carina (10 per cent: $75,050) and Acacia Ridge (20 per cent: $90,500)
• South Australia: Adelaide (10 per cent: $70,525) and Ascot Park (20 per cent: $96,200)
• Western Australia: Scarborough (10 per cent: $78,200) and Nollamara (20 per cent: $79,000)
• Tasmania: Kingston (10 per cent: $63,050) and Glenorchy (20 per cent: $96,000)
• Northern Territory: Ludmilla (10 per cent: $56,200) and Bakewell (20 per cent: $93,200)
• Australian Capital Territory: Phillip (10 per cent: $56,650)

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.