The Telegraph Office opened on 20 October 1866. The Post Office had been established on 1 April 1861 (as Port Denison) but the name was changed in 1865. A new Office was erected in 1869.

During the early part of the 1870s, Bowen became the main repeating centre for the lines to the north. In 1880, 6,189 messages were sent including 1,081 OHMS messages. The staff consisted of one Postmaster, 7 operators, a line repairer and a clerical assistant.

In 1886, the Queensland Figaro published an article describing the staff of the Telegraph Office in "Sleepy Hollow".

Bowen Post and Telegraph Department oval.
BO3-P&TD.

18 April 1905.

Only known example.

The Telegraph Office opened on 9 October 1886.
The Post Office had opened on 1 July 1866 but closed on 30 June 1871. It then reopened on 1 January 1883.

Burketown postal date stamp.
QLD-AUST at base.
17 October 1955.

Premier Postal Auctions, January 2014

Camooweal.

A Post & Telegraph Office was opened in April 1890. Tenders had beet let for the building on 23 December 1889.

Cardwell.

The Telegraph Office opened on 3 January 1870.

In 1880, 2,185 messages were sent including 469 OHMS messages. The staff consisted of one line repairer.

The Telegraph Office was opened on . It was officially designated as a repairing station.

In 1880, 141 messages were sent including 6 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an 1 line repairer in charge and 1 labourer.

The station was closed on 17 May 1881.

Charters Towers (Valley of the Lagoons).

Gold was not found in the river bank until end of 1871, The town was proclaimed in 1874.

The Telegraph Office opened on 29 December 1874. The Post Office had opened on 17 May 1872.

On 3 October 1877, the Legislative Assembly approved £1,200 for the construction of a Post & Telegraph Office. There must have been some delay because tenders for the Post and Telegraph Office at Charters Towers closed on 16 August 1878.

In 1880, 13,892 messages were sent including 678 OHMS messages. The staff of the Telegraph section consisted of one Electric Telegraph Station Master, 2 operators, 1 line repairer and 1 messenger.

The Northern Miner of 20 September 1888 had a tongue-in-cheek entry:

"The telegraph operators here have discovered a new sea - the "Algean" sea. We have heard of the Egean or AEgean sea but never of this newly discovered sea. Science is indebted to the Charters Towers telegraphic operators - or was it Bowen as usual?" (Ed: Bowen was the repeater station :-) ).

In August 1888, a tender was awarded to Taylor and Hubbard for the erection of a Post and Telegraph Office at Queenton (now a suburb of Charters Towers) for the sum of £575. This was probably the building required after the Telegraph Office at the Railway Station had closed the previous year.

Cloncurry.

The Telegraph Office opened on 27 August 1889. In October of that year, the tender of J. C. Clements was accepted by the Works Department of £470 for five months to construct additions to the Post and Telegraph Office.

In March 1907, a tender was announced for a new P&T office in Cloncurry for £1565.

Cloncurry of the Queenslander of 12 January 1889 - an announcement in the Birth column:

"KELLY.—On the 22nd December, 1888, at the Post and Telegraph Office, Cloncurry,
the wife of J. R. Kelly, of a daughter".

Must have been between messages :-).

Cloncurry was a base for the Australian Inland Mission's wireless telegraph communication network.

Croydon.

Tenders were called in January 1887 for the erection of a Post and Telegraph Office at Croydon. A Branch of the Queensland National Bank was opened in the same month. The Telegraph Office opened on 4 July 1887.

The goldfields at Croydon and Etheridge were very productive. For example one of many announcements noted that on 15 February 1887, an escort had arrived that morning at Normanton from the Etheridge and Croydon goldfields bringing 7,083 oz of gold - of which 5,025 oz were for the Bank of New South Wales and the balance for the Queensland National Bank. 4,000 ozs had come from the Croydon field as its first shipment. Good argument for the need of a Telegraph Office. They had great trouble reaching Normanton because of the flooded countryside.

The Cairns Post of 14 April observed that "From the NORMAN CHRONICLE we learn that the Croydon goldfield has been without a drop of liquor for six days. What a mighty drunk will ensue when a fresh supply comes in".

Delta.

A small town about 160 km from Mackay. The nearest airport is Proserpine.

A Telegraph Office was opened in 1925 and closed in about 1970.

Used: 23 December 1950.

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

Floraville.

The Queenslander on 16 April 1887, related the observations that "Floraville is on the highest point of a gradual elevation on the west bank of the Leichhardt and is comprised of one house—hotel, store and telegraph office. It would be a difficult task to expatiate on this primitive habitation though there are a lot of alligators in the river and the yarns told of their exploits would put all Yankee invention in the shade. As soon as the material can be brought from Normanton, a new telegraph office will be erected".

In 1880, 4,052 messages were sent including 632 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of one Electric Telegraph Station Master and 1 line repairer.

The Post & Telegraph opened on 31 July 1886.

On 8 April 1881, the Gazette called for tenders to construct a Telegraph Office at Hughenden with a closing date of 13 May.

Hughenden was a new settlement and a description of its layout is given elsewhere.

A Telegraph Office opened at Inkerman on 15 March 1869 - the same day as the line from Bowen to Townsville was completed.

A report in the Maryborough Chronicle of 1 July 1869 described the antagonism between the settlers and the aborigines and referred to "Mr. Rowlands the line repairer who is in charge of the telegraph (at Inkerman)".

In the same source of 24 July 1869, "a reserve of 160 acres has been made at Inkerman run, in the Kennedy district for a telegraph station". That is a very large area - perhaps because at that time, Inkerman was, in addition, being used as a repeater station with significant meteorological duties also.

In March 1917, "the Inkerman Bridge across the Burdekin is under water and all telegraph lines are carried away".

Used on a telegram: unknown.

Diameter: 31 mm (9 mm side arcs);

Rated on a telegram: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 0.

Previously the area had been called Rosella Plains.

The Telegraph Office opened on 23 October 1871. Tenders were called for a building in 1882.

In 1907, the Telegraph Office staff comprised a Postmaster, two Operators and two Line Repairers. They were responsible for very heavy traffic north into the Cape as well as south to the Tanbo-Cloncurry line.

McKinlay.

A story about a man going for a long walk shows the vastness of Queensland's outback and the effort made by those charged with the responsibilities of constructing the telegraph lines.

"I reached the McKinlay township next night at about 7 o'clock dead tired after a thirty miles walk. 1 have purposely committed the tautology of this word "township" because it is such a sell when one does reach it.

I had traveled from Cloncurry. First I came to a public house and from it I saw a weather board cottage into which I saw that the telegraph wire was underneath. So it did not require much painful reasoning to arrive at the conclusion that it was the telegraph office. In the pub I met the telegraph master who, to my joy and surprise, turned out to be an old acquaintance. He took me to his ranch and made me comfortable for the night.

Next morning I asked him how much farther I had to travel before I reached the township. "Why, man, you're in it?" was the reply. "The pub and my shanty are 'the township' and old Charley (the publican) and myself, with our two respective cooks, are the population." I collapsed".
Evening Journal 19 October 1889, p. 7.

Mount Charlton is located between Charters Towers and Mackay.

An Electric Telegraph Office oval date stamp - format 3 - was used at the Office. It is undated - but would have been used during the Post Office period.

Format 3 - BO3-ETO.

Date of use in black: Unknown.

Size: ??

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

Opened as a Receiving Office about 1908. Upgraded to a Post Office in June 1910. Closed on 31 December 1927.

An Electric Telegraph Office oval date stamp - format 3 - was used at the Office. It is undated - but would have been used during the Post Office period.

Format 3 - BO3-ETO.

Date of use in black: Unknown.

Size: ??

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 3 January 1872.

For details, see the Gulf Line.

The line to Ravenswood opened in August 1872.

Tenders were announced for the construction of a Telegraph Office at Ravenswood in January 1873.

In the Gazette of 13 December 1884, tenders were called for a NEW Post and Telegraph Office (possibly the one shown below).

Ravenswood Post & Telegraph Office about 1910.

Risenshine.

Risenshine (also more recently listed as Rise and Shine) is north west of Mackay , north of Mt. Consuelo and west of Calen.

Little is known of the Office.

Date stamps.

A circular steel date T.O. date stamp was issued to the Office about 1950. It may have been Telegraph Office rather than Telegraph Office but as telephone offices also hadled telegraphs, the distinction is not important.

Used: 13 June 1957 to 27 November 1963.

Size: 31 mm.

Rated: RRRRR.

Number in the Census: 2..

The cover sent to Epping NSW with the 1963 Risenshine TO date stamp.

Rivermead.

The T.O. Office opened on 12 August 1952 and closed on 12 December 1960.

Rivermead is about 23 kms SE from Ayr.

Used: 5 August 1955.

Size: 31 mm.

Rated: RRRRR.

Number in the Census: 2 (both same date).

The Telegraph Office opened on 15 March 1869 and the new building shown at the right was constructed. Tenders for a new Telegraph Office were announced in the Gazette of 16 November 1878 and the new building was constructed in 1879.

In 1880, 25,693 messages were sent including 2,437 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master, 2 operators, 1 line repairer, 1 clerical assistants and 3 messengers.

On 30 November 1899, the Capricornian reported that "News has been received by the Department of Works that the new public clocks for the Post and Telegraph Offices at Mackay and Townsville have been despatched from London by the B.I.S.N. Company's S. S. Jumna".

On 22 January 1890, the Telegraph reported:

"The Post and Telegraph offices have been completed at a cost of £18,000. Mr. McMillan, the Inspector of Buildings, is satisfied with the manner in which the work has been carried out by Mr. Kelleher, who has had many difficulties to contend with. The painting and decoration has been done by Messrs. Torton, Savage & Co. but the clock is not yet erected".

On 7 August 1913, a coastal radio station was opened in South Townsville from materials taken from Germans in Bitapaka, New Britain. The mast was demolished in 1948 and written up in Trove.

On 27 February 1877 "the first conversation by telephone between the Townsville telegraph office and Charters Towers was carried on at the local telegraph office. The words came through clearly and distinctly but, being on the same wire as that used for ordinary telegraph business, the ticking of the telegraph instrument could be discerned".

QC-EO-2: Townsville 4 December 1872.
Also has the accompanying delivery form QC-DO-5.

Datestamp: Circle.6

Base inscription: QLD.

Earliest date of this format:
25 August 1933 (Occleshaw).

Latest date of this format:
22 November 1939.

Characteristics:
Die 5B: A over GR of TELEGRAM.

Number in the Census: 14.

Urandangie.

The Queenslander on 8 November 1890 reported that tenders had been received for the construction of the Post and Telegraph Office at Urandangi from J. O. Meise and Doyle and Gilbert.

The same source reported on 22 November 1890 noted that "The tender of A. Murphy, £1098 5s, six months, for the Post and Telegraph office at Urandangi has been accepted by tbe Department of Works".

On 27 December 1890, the Morning Bulletin reported that "There is a weekly mail to Boulia and also a weekly mail to Cloncurry but a great boon has been conferred by the opening of a telegraph station at Urandangie which is only thirty five miles from Carandotta".

The line to Urandangie from Camooweal was apparently completed in early 1891.

The Morning Bulletin of 22 December 1891 reported: "The construction of the Post and Telegraph Office is now under way at Urandangie and is making very satisfactory progress".

Yelvertoft.

The Brisbane Courier of 16 March 1891 reported on the massive floods that were affecting the entire district that "At Yelvertoft the water rose to the steps of the telegraph office but the country is high and the stock are free from danger".

Another report notes that a Telegraph Office was opened in 1922 and that closed in about 1975. The Office was established on a very large homestead to the north-west of Mount Isa.
I cannot reconcile these statements and dates.

Although in Queensland, it is one of many notable places whose nearest capital city is Darwin.

There is no record of a telegraph date stamp being issued to Yelvertoft.

For the postal date stamp shown here:

Used (on a telegram): Not recorded.
Used on a letter: 27 August 1957.

Diameter: 27 mm.
2 mm side arcs.

Rated (on a telegram): RRRR.

Number in the Census
on a telegram: 0
on a cover: 1.