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TheAustralian Overland Telegraph Line was anelectrical telegraph system for sending messages the 3200 kilometres (2000 miles) betweenDarwin, in what is now theNorthern Territory of Australia, andAdelaide, the capital ofSouth Australia. Completed in 1872 (with a line toWestern Australia added in 1877), it allowed fast communication betweenAustralia and the rest of the world. When it was linked to theJava-to-Darwin submarine telegraph cable several months later, the communication time with Europe dropped from months to hours; Australia was no longer so isolated from the rest of the world. The line was one of the greatengineering feats of 19th-century Australia and probably the most significant milestone in thehistory of telegraphy in Australia.[1][2][3]
By 1855 speculation had intensified about possible routes for the connection of Australia to the new telegraph cable in Java and thus Europe. Among the routes under consideration were eitherCeylon toAlbany inWestern Australia, orJava to the north coast of Australia and then either onto east coast, or south through the centre of the continent to Adelaide.[4]
Competition between the colonies over the route was fierce. TheVictorian government organised anexpedition led byBurke andWills to cross thecontinent fromMenindee to theGulf of Carpentaria in 1860. Although the route was traversed, theexpedition ended in disaster. The South Australian government recognised the economic benefits that would result from becoming the centre of the telegraph network. It offered a reward of £2000 to encourage an expedition to find a route between South Australia and the north coast.[4]
John McDouall Stuart had meanwhile also been endeavouring to cross the continent starting from the northernFlinders Ranges, and was successful on his sixth attempt in 1862.[5]Stuart had the proposed telegraph line in mind as he travelled across the country, noting the best places for river crossings, sources of timber for telegraph poles, and water supplies. On 24 July, his expedition finally reached the north coast at a place Stuart namedChambers Bay, after his early sponsor,James Chambers. South Australian GovernorRichard MacDonnell gave his strong support to the project.[6]
In 1863 an Order in Council transferred theNorthern Territory to South Australia, aiming to secure land for an international telegraph connection.[7] Now with a potential route, South Australia strengthened her position for the telegraph line in 1865 when Parliament authorised the construction of a telegraph line between Adelaide and Port Augusta, 300 km to the north. This move provoked outrage inQueensland amongst advocates of the Darwin–Burketown route.
The final contract was secured in 1870 when the South Australian government agreed to construct 3200 km of line to Darwin, while theBritish-Australian Telegraph Company promised to lay the undersea cable fromBanyuwangi, Java to Darwin. The latter was to be finished on 31 December 1871, and severe penalties were to apply if the connecting link was not ready.[4]
The South Australian Superintendent of Telegraphs,Charles Todd, was appointed head of the project,[8] and devised a timetable to complete the immense project on schedule. Todd had built South Australia's first telegraph line and extended it to Melbourne.[7] The contract stipulated a total cost of no more than £128,000 and two years' construction time.[7] He divided the route into three sections, each of 600 miles (970 km): northern and southern sections to be handled by private contractors, and a central section which would be constructed by his own department.[4] The telegraph line would comprise more than 30,000 wrought iron poles, insulators, batteries, wire and other equipment, ordered from England.[9][10] The poles were placed 80 m apart and repeater stations separated by no more than 250 km,[11] a major criterion being year-round availability of water.[12]
Todd appointed staff to whom the contractors would be responsible: Explorer,John Ross; Surveyor,William Harvey; Overseer of Works, Northern Territory,William McMinn; Sub-Overseer,R. C. Burton;Operators,James Lawrence Stapleton (murdered 1874 atBarrow Creek) and Andrew Howley.[13] Surveyors and Overseers, central portion of line:A. T. Woods,Gilbert McMinn, andRichard Randall Knuckey; Overseer, James Beckwith; Sub-Overseers, J. F. Roberts (perhapsJ. Le M. F. Roberts), Stephen Jarvis,W. W. Mills,W. Charles Musgrave, andChristopher Giles.[14]He assembled a team of men for his central section: surveyors, linesmen, carpenters, labourers and cooks. The team left Adelaide with horses, bullocks and carts loaded with provisions and equipment for many weeks. The central section would be surveyed by the explorerJohn Ross andAlfred Giles, his second-in-command.[9]
The southern section fromPort Augusta toAlberga Creek was contracted toEdward Meade Bagot. He contractedBenjamin Herschel Babbage to survey the line, and sites at Beltana,Strangways Springs andthe Peake were identified as sites for repeater stations.Charlotte Waters, just north of the South Australian border in the Northern Territory, was surveyed in 1871 by Gilbert McMinn and Richard Knuckey[15] and a repeater station built in 1872.[16]
Darwent & Dalwood, who won the contract for the northern section of 600 miles (970 km), arrived in Port Darwin aboardSS Omeo in September 1870 with 80 men, 80 draught horses, bullocks, equipment and stores.Stephen King Jr. was their surveyor and explorer. The northern line was progressing well until the onset of thewet season in November 1870.[9] Heavy rain of up to 10 inches (250 mm) a day waterlogged the ground and made it impossible for work to progress. With conditions worsening, the men went on strike on 7 March 1871, rancid food and disease-spreading mosquitoes amongst their complaints.[9]On 3 May 1871, Overseer of Works William McMinn[17][18] cancelled Darwent & Dalwood's contract and sent all the workers back to Adelaide, on the basis of insufficient progress (they had erected poles to a distance of 225 miles (362 km) and strung wire for 129 miles (208 km) to that date) and the insurrection of the men. This last, the workers claimed, was exaggerated; they only refused to work after they had been sacked.[19] These actions were certainly within his powers, and spelled out in the contract, but he was dismissed on his return to Adelaide in July 1871. Joseph Darwent had protested the original appointment of McMinn, who had submitted a losing tender, but was overruled. William T. Dalwood was eventually awarded compensation of £11,000.[20]
The South Australian Government was now forced to construct an extra 700 km of line, and threw every available resource into its completion, down to purchasing horses and hiring men from New South Wales. It was another six months before reinforcements led by engineerRobert C. Patterson[21] arrived in Darwin. As the central and southern sections neared completion, Patterson decided to take a different strategy with the construction of the northern section. It was divided into four sub-sections with the majority of the men on the most northerly section.[22] The undersea cable was finished earlier than expected,[7] with the line fromJava reaching Darwin on 18 November 1871 and being connected the following day.[22]
Because of the problems still facing the northern section, the Queensland Superintendent of Telegraphs called for the abandonment of the project, and for the line to connect to the terminal atBurketown, but Todd was adamant and pressed on.[22][23] By the end of the year there was still over 300 km of line to erect.[22] A storm system impacting South and Central Australia caused significant interruptions on the line in January 1872.[24] By May 1872, the line was substantially in use with horse or camel carrying messages across the uncompleted section.[25] During this time, Todd began visiting workers along the line to lift their spirits.[7] The message he sent along the incomplete line on 22 May 1872, took 9 days to reach Adelaide.[22]
Running more than seven months behind schedule, the two lines were finally joined at Frew's Ponds on Thursday, 22 August 1872.[26] Todd was given the honour of sending the first message along the completed line:
After the first messages had been exchanged over the new line, Todd was accompanied by surveyorRichard Randall Knuckey on the return journey fromCentral Mount Stuart to Adelaide.[27]
The requirements of nineteenth century telegraphy meant the Overland Telegraph Line required repeater stations, a maximum of 250–300 km apart, to boost the signal. The repeater stations contained twoprimary batteries: the line was powered by a (c. 120 V) bank of Meidinger cells — a variation ofDaniell cell, "recharged" by replacing the electrolyte — as well asLeclanche cells for the local equipment.[28] Although repeater stations have been run by a single telegraphist, usual staffing was four to six, including a station master, telegraphists and a linesman. The job of a telegraphist was to record each message received, with the time of day, and to re-send (relay) it further along the line.
Within the first year of operations 4000 telegrams were transmitted.[11] Maintenance was an ongoing and mammoth task, with floods often destroying poles, and a range of other incidents disrupting the line. In the 1880s, wooden poles were replaced with JosephOppenheimer's patentedtelescoping poles.
The line proved an immediate success in opening theNorthern Territory; gold discoveries were made in several places along the northern section (in particularPine Creek), and the repeater stations in theMacDonnell Ranges proved invaluable starting points for explorers likeErnest Giles,W. C. Gosse, andPeter Egerton-Warburton who were heading west.
In February 1875, a small contingent of Overland Telegraph employees left Port Darwin for Adelaide on the ill-fatedSSGothenburg. A few days later, at least ten were among the hundred-odd who lost their lives after she encountered a severe storm, and was driven into theGreat Barrier Reef and sank.[29]
The southern section of the line included repeater stations atBeltana,Strangways Springs andthe Peake. Traces and remains of these repeater stations can still be seen today along the Oodnadatta Track in South Australia.
The central section of the line included repeater stations atCharlotte Waters andAlice Springs. Charlotte Waters was operational until the 1930s; today there is very little left at the site.
The northern section of the line included repeater stations atBarrow Creek,Tennant Creek,Daly Waters,Powell Creek,Katherine, Yam Creek and finally a terminus point inDarwin. In Darwin, there was also considerable infrastructure to manage and maintain the undersea cable/s to Europe.
| Telegraph station February 1895 | Distance from Adelaide[30] | Distance from previous |
|---|---|---|
| Port Darwin | 1,973 mi (3,175 km) | 24 mi (39 km) |
| Southport | 1,949 mi (3,137 km) | 95 mi (153 km) |
| Yam Creek | 1,854 mi (2,984 km) | 29 mi (47 km) |
| Pine Creek | 1,825 mi (2,937 km) | 54 mi (87 km) |
| Katharine | 1,771 mi (2,850 km) | 166 mi (267 km) |
| Daly Waters | 1,605 mi (2,583 km) | 138 mi (222 km) |
| Powell Creek | 1,467 mi (2,361 km) | 113 mi (182 km) |
| Tennant Creek | 1,354 mi (2,179 km) | 147 mi (237 km) |
| Barrow Creek | 1,207 mi (1,942 km) | 171 mi (275 km) |
| Alice Springs | 1,036 mi (1,667 km) | 132 mi (212 km) |
| Charlotte Waters | 804 mi (1,294 km) | 168 mi (270 km) |
| The Peake | 636 mi (1,024 km) | 91 mi (146 km) |
| Strangways Springs | 545 mi (877 km) | 90 mi (140 km) |
| Beltana | 355 mi (571 km) | c. 150 mi (240 km) |
| Port Augusta | c. 205 mi (330 km) |
Numerous interruptions to service occurred in the early days. Tribal Aboriginals discovered that splendid fishing hooks could be fashioned from the galvanised iron wire conductors (same as #8 fencing wire), spearheads and other implements could be made from shards of insulator, and hatchets from iron baseplates attached to some of the poles, keeping the linemen busy. Atmospheric disturbance fromsolar flares induced interfering signals in some sections of the line, and lightning strikes were not uncommon.[12]
These breaks were as nothing compared with the flooding event involvingthe Peake andStrangways Springs stations in 1895. On 20 January the telegraph line was washed away by the Warrina Creek, a few miles north of Strangways Springs,[31] and full service was not restored until 24 January. Improvised communication included carrying paper copies of the messages by rail between the Peake and Oodnadatta. The flood at the Peake was unprecedented, but Todd authorised replacing the 23 ft (7.0 m) steel poles with 30-footers, set in concrete and reinforced with struts.[32]
When Darwin was bombed in World War II the line was deliberately cut just before the attack.[7][8]
The line was replaced in the early 1970s by a chain ofmicrowave radio relays[8] throughMount Isa.
In 2008, its engineering heritage was recognised by the installation of markers provided by theEngineers Australia'sEngineering Heritage Recognition Program at a location in Darwin near the place where the cable reached the shore, theAlice Springs Telegraph Station and theGeneral Post Office in Adelaide.[33]
In 1870 the British Australia Telegraph Company (BAT) was formed to link Australia directly to the British telegraphic cable system, by extending the cable from Singapore via Java to Port Darwin. In 1873, three British companies, The British India Extension Telegraph Company, The BAT and The China Submarine Telegraph Company were amalgamated to form the Eastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Company (EET Co). The driving force behind the British cable companies was a Scottish born entrepreneur SirJohn Pender, founder ofCable and Wireless.
On 19 November 1871, Australia was connected telegraphically with the rest of the world after a cable was laid by BAT fromBanyuwangi (Banjoewangie), at the eastern end of Java, to Darwin.[34] This coincided with the completion of the construction of the overland telegraph cable from Adelaide to Darwin. The first message sent directly from London to Adelaide occurred on 22 October 1872. A second submarine cable from Java to Darwin was laid in 1880 to provide redunancy. The site in the intertidal zone where the cables come ashore in Darwin, where they are still visible during very low tides, was heritage listed in 2020.[35]
On 9 April 1889 a thirdundersea telegraph cable opened for business, running fromBanyuwangi, Java toCable Beach,Western Australia and continuing overland toPerth,[36] to complement the two cables already laid in 1871[34] and 1880 from Banyuwangi to Darwin.
This cable was laid to increase security in communications by avoiding disruption from seismic activity that kept breaking the Banyuwangi to Darwin cables. The contract for the cables called for the manufacture of 970 nautical miles of cable containing a single galvanised copper core with 220 nautical miles being brass sheathed, laid by theTelegraph Construction and Maintenance Company for theEastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Company, by the SSSeine. The operation took only 10 days and was completed on 26 February 1889. These were all British companies.[citation needed]
Cable Beach is named after this cable that connectedJava to Cable Station, that served this purpose until March 1914. After operating for 25 years it closed due to the opening of more competitive, cheaper-to-run stations; most cables were subsequently recovered.[37]
Cable Station was left empty, and in 1921 it was purchased and transformed into its current use as theBroome Court House, which was placed on the Western Australian State Register of Heritage Places in 2001 as it is the only station that is still standing in Australia.[38][39]
[40][41][42][43][12][44][45][46]
In the 1930sCinesound Productions announced plans to make a movie about the Telegraph based on a script byFrank Clune.[47] This emerged as Clune's 1955 bookOverland Telegraph. The film was never made.[48]
In 2007, the ABC producedConstructing Australia, a three-part miniseries, which included the 55-minute "Wire through the Heart" on the Overland Telegraph Line.[49] A 6-minute excerpt, "Todd Completes Telegraph" may be viewed onthis project page from theNFSA.
25°55′37.77″S134°58′25.58″E / 25.9271583°S 134.9737722°E /-25.9271583; 134.9737722
