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Cheers all, some great ideas.
Yeah, Qld hardwood as far as I can tell, and the posts are pretty solid - no rot. No conservation value either as far as I know, but it does match the age and feel of the house - basically, I like it pretty much as it looks.
I like the idea of jacking up the beams and lifting the posts or packing the top. I do know the previous owners tried to restump the house, and spent four hours pulling one of them out with a tractor. They gave up after that, satisfied the stumps were pretty strong :D
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the post strength is not related to the soil type and condition, and there fore how much they will sink....
The only advantage that putting a structural vertical support into the ground is tie down and bracing.
The problem with timber is rot and termite.
A suitable steel fabricated support will allow for all posts to be trimmed to one height, If the design is right, the steel support and its connection to timber post will give tie down and some bracing.
Beams partly check into the post (that is the post is checked out not the beam) will give the beam some load bearing and not just rely on the shear of the bolts. The bolts will hold it together and provide tie down. Rafters partly checked over beams can be fastened a number of ways, but need to have a mechanical fixing that will give tie down. Roof batterns are simply battern screwed to the rafters.
As it is a hip roof, this provides the roof structure with bracing, but being there is such a large mid section I would also add some diagonal metal bracing (speed brace) to the rafters before installing the roof batterns.
I would also add some "knee" braces from posts to beams if the clearance is available....or if you have a bay you dont have to drive through, some metal cross braces would work well.
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Have a look in your local Yellow Pages for restumping contractors. Plenty of them about.
