The Telegraph Offices discussed on this page across three lines of telegraph are:
The Post Office - possibly including telegraph facilities - was opened in May 1937. Money Order facilities were extended to the Office in March 1938. Between the Heidelberg and Lilydale lines. |
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Two rubber TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps were issued to the office:
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11 October 1976 - Earliest recorded date. |
17 January 1983. |
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2 August 1988 (only recorded date). |
Bayswater.
The Post Office changed name from Macauley on 17 December 1889. |
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The office was issued with a very large rectangular TELEGRAPH SECTION date stamp (RRH1-TS) which was used in two colours:
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30 September 1981 |
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The Post Office at Boronia opened as a Receiving Office on 1 October 1920 and was reclassified as a Post Office on 15 May 1922. |
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The office was issued with a rubber rectangular - date stamp (RRH1-T):
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September 1981. |
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11 June 1946. Used onAW-DO-9 (1944). |
The Telegraph Office opened at the Railway Station in December 1882. |
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A rubber oval postal date stamp (RO2-PO) was also used on telegrams.
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Located about 7 km NE of Preston. |
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Two formats of date stamps were used for the TELEGRAPH OFFICE at Bundoora:
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Clifton Hill.
The Clifton Hill Post Office opened in December 1883. The Telegraph Office was issued with a Belt & Buckle date stamp which was used in black. Previously, the only recorded date had been 23 February 1894 but now it is known it was used in black from 21 February 1893 to 23 February 1894. The Office was also issued with a double circle TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RC2 - TO). |
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Clifton Hill 1 hole Belt & Buckle date stamp in black. On complete cover VC-EO-9A with the remnants of the seal on the reverse side still attached. 11 March 1893. Size: 28 × 38 mm (e = 0.68). Rated: RRRR. |
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Clifton Hill 1 hole Belt & Buckle date stamp in black. Earliest recorded date. Rated: RRRR. |
Clifton Hill Telegraph Office. (RC2- TO). Used in violet from 30 June 1978 to 17 March 1980. Rated: RRRR.
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Coldstream. (Lilydale Branch). Coldstream is about 4 km NE of Lilydale and the general area around was formerly referred to as The Lodge. The Post Office opened on 7 February 1889 - soon after the railway arrived in 1888. |
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The office was issued with T.O. steel date stamps as follows:
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Mossgreen November 2016 Lot 894. |
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Detail of the above date stamp. | ||
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8 October 1920. |
21 June 1922. Detail of the Melba-Hughes cover below. |
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15 October 1926. |
25 November 1926. |
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11 May 1944. |
8 February 1949. |
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Coldstream - T.O. partly removed. 30 April 1967. |
Coldstream - T.O. fully removed. 30 April 1967 to January 1968. |
26 July 1966. T.O. removed. Detail of date stamp from cover at right. |
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13 May 1987. Used on cover with several date stamps confirming 13 May. |
The Telegraph Office opened on 15 November 1865. Both the Whittlesea Branch and the Kangaroo Ground branches of the Melbourne NE line were constructed from Collingwood. In the Legislative Assembly of 31 July 1867, an interesting development, introduced by Mr. Higginbotham, occurred in relation the location of the Post and Telegraph office and others: "The measure he asked leave to introduce was a private bill, and he would explain the circumstances which made it necessary to introduce it at this late period of the session. In 1850 Parliament voted a sum of £500 for the purpose of establishing a Mechanics' Institute and public library in Collingwood. In the following year, a piece of land was purchased and conveyed to trustees, the late Hon. J. Hodgson, the Hon. J. P. Fawkner and Sir Francis Murphy. There was not sufficient money to erect buildings on the land and the borough council had recently proposed that the land should be transferred to them on condition that they erected a Mechanics' Imstitute and public library. At the same time, the council asked the Government for assistance, on condition that they gave up a portion of the building for use as a Post Office and Telegraph Office. It was finally arranged that a portion of the land should be vested in the Government and a portion in the council, and that the original design should be carried out on Parliament's voting a sum towards the erection of the Post Office and Telegraph Office. This was an arrangement satisfactory to all parties but difficulties arose in consequence of the death of one of the trustees and the loss of the trust deed and hence the arrangement could not be carried out without the passing of an Act of Parliament. The bill would not have been brought before the House at this late period of the session but for the danger there was of the Borough Council's becoming involved in pecuniary embarrassment unless the land were transferred before the end of the present session in consequence of their having entered into a contract for the erection of a Mechanics' Institute. The bill had been considered by the examiners, Messrs. P. Lalor and J. Barker, who had reported that there could be no objection to the standing orders being suspended". On a totally different subject, The Herald of 25 January reported that "An ordinnry meeting of the East Collingwood Council was held last evening. Permission was granted to the Collingwood Gold Mining Company to drive under the streets in any direction which the leads might run, subject to the company repairing any damage which might be occasioned by the operations". |
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The Office was issued with a 1 hole Belt and Buckle date stamp.
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25 February 1899. (latest recorded date). |
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Two complete strikes (the only complete strikes recorded) for Collingwood. |
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From about 18 April 1941 and about 23 April 1941, the staff at the Collingwood Telegraph Office used a rubber oval date stamp (RO6-PO) with POST OFFICE to mark incoming telegrams and their envelopes for delivery. During that time, the oval date stamp broke apart and so the inventive staff used twine or two rubber bands to repair the date stamp - at least to solve their immediate problems.
Only one other example of the use of this unusual repair is recorded (see below). It was used both on the delivery form (AB-EO-8H) and on the delivery envelope (AB-EO-8C). |
23 April 1941. |
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Band/twine extends from CO of Collingwood to ST od POST. |
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The office was issued with a rubber TELEGRAPH date stamp Size: 29 × 48 mm. Used: 15 February 1985 to 24 January 1986. Rated: RRR. |
24 January 1986. |
A circular date stamp (RC2 - diameter 35 mm) was also used with telegrams on 12 January 1987. It has only the DONCASTER inscription. Rated: RRRR. |
Eltham. (Kangaroo Ground Branch). The Telegraph Office opened on 1 June 1877. |
The postcard sent to England (indecipherable date) reads" |
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Early form. The earliest indication of the operation of the Eltham Telegraph Office is a message on a telegram delivery form (VC-DO-11C) received at Richmond on 25 July 1888 from Eltham. |
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Date stamp.
The Telegraph Office was issued with a rubber circular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RO2-TO) used in violet. |
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Used on AT-DO-14A |
Ferntree Gully.
The Telegraph Office opened on |
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A rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH SECTION date stamp (RRH1-TS) was used at the office in violet.
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Glen Waverley.
The Post Office at Glen Waverley replaced that at Glen Waverley North on 4 December 1963. Prior to that, a Glen Waverley Post Office had replaced Black Flat Post Office on 10 January 1921 until it was renamed Glen Waverley South on 4 December 1963. |
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The Office was issued with two rubber oval TELEGRAPH date stamps: (RO6-T).
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6 January 1973. Image by courtesy of Brian Sampson. |
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Greensborough.
The Telegraph Office |
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The Office was first issued with a rubber ovalr TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RO2-TO) for use on telegrams.
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8 April 1974. An archival strike. |
The Office was later issued with a rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RRH1-TO) for use on telegrams.
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Hawthorn. (Lilydale Branch). The Telegraph Office was opened in July 1872. A new Post and Telegraph Office was opened about 19 May 1909 although the telephone exchange was not transferred. |
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Early form. The earliest indication of the operation of the Hawthorn Telegraph Office is a telegram delivery form used at Richmond for a message from Hawthorn on 28 February 1878. |
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Date stamps. The Telegraph Office was issued with at least six types of date stamp for use with telegrams:
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21 June 1890 (or Aug). Earliest recorded date. |
21 December ??. |
Used in violet: 5 October 1959 to 3 July 1968. |
5 October 1959. Used on AA-DO-13B. |
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10 June 1966. Used on AA-DO-13D. |
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Used in violet: 10 June 1966 to 3 July 1968. |
3 July 1868. |
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1 May 1860. Used on a Delivery envelope AA-EO-18A. |
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4 August 1871. Used on delivery form AA-DO-13D. Note the inner oval is a series of close points - unusual. |
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27 January 1984. |
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26 February 1987. |
Heidelberg. (Kangaroo Ground Branch). A Post Office opened at Heidelberg on 19 October 1853 as Warringal and was renamed Heidelberg in 1865. The area was proclaimed as the Shire of Heidelberg in 1871. The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876. |
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Early form. The earliest indication of the operation of the Heidelberg Telegraph Office is a telegram delivery form used at Northcote for a message from Heidleberg on 11 October 1894. |
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Date stamps. The Heidleberg Telegraph Office was issued with an oval rubber date stamp (RO2-TO). |
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25 May 1970. Used on delivery form AA-DO-13C. |
The Office was also issued with a rectangular rubber date stamp (RRH1 - Heidelberg) which was not inscribed either post or telegraph. | |
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27 October 1961. Used on AA-DO- 13B. |
Ivanhoe. The Telegraph Office was opened from Monday 28 August 1876. It was closed in 1880 (according to the 1880 Report by the Superintendent). It appears to have been merged with the Post Office in 1889. A rectangular rubber TELEGRAPH date stamp (RRH1-T) was issued for use on telegrams. |
Used: 24 March 1951 to 13 January 1960. |
24 March 1951. Used on AW-DO-10Ab (49). |
13 January 1960. Used on AA-DO-13B. |
The Post Office at Launching Place was opened on 12 July 1865 when Warburton PO was renamed. On 13 September 1869, it was renamed Hoddle's Creek PO. Another Post Office was opened at Launching Place on 1 September 1880 and it was closed on 28 July 1994. |
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No special date stamp for use with Telegraphs was issued to the Office. Instead the usual postal post mark was used on telegrams. |
Used on AW-DO-10E (Aug 1952). |
Mr. H. Perrin was the first postmaster at Lilydale from 1861 and held that position for 27 years. His son succeeded him for many years until the Government erected a Post & Telegraph Office at Lilydale and appointed an official staff member to the position (see Lilydale history elsewhere). Mr Perrin (the 1st) took part in an acoustic experiment communicating with Kew in 1878. Telegraph facilities were also made available to the public at the Railway Station from 23 December 1882 - the Railway from Hawthorn having been opened on 1 December 1882. |
Lilydale Post & Telegraph Office about 1910. |
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The Argus of 5 August 1876 reported that, just after the first Telegraph Office opened at Lilydale: "the extension of the electric telegraph to the township of Lilydale was celebrated at the local Rechabite-hall by a dinner to which the members of the Ministry were invited ... There was a large attendance of the people of the district, the guests numbering over 150. The proceedings were marked throughout by an evident expression of favour towards the members of the Government present ... (the Hon. Geoege Harker) commented upon the claims of the district and said that he was glad to see that one claim of theirs, at all events, had been recognised viz., the necessity of a telegraph wire to Melbourne. This line placed them in communication with the civilised world ... Mr. Ramsay, who was very warmly received, replied. He said that he felt on this occasion he was asked to respond to a toast which he could drink most heartily. Little more than a year ago he had, in company with Mr. Kerferd, paid a visit to this district, when he was waited upon by a deputation, who particularly pointed out the want of telegraphic communication with the metropolis. He had then only promised to give consideration to the request but the result was that, on his next visit to Lilydale now, he was present at the celebration of telegraphic communication with Melbourne. (Loud cheers.) This district only required to be better known. It abounded in grand mountains, beautiful valleys and sparkling streams and, when it became better known, there would unfailingly be a large accession of persons who wanted to leave the busy town for the cooler retreats which were here presented. In connexion with the subject with which their present celebration was most closely connected - that of electric telegraph extension - he thought it would be of interest to give the following information in connexion with the telegraphic system of the Colony. At the present moment, the number of miles of telegraph line poled was 2,629. The number of miles of wire was 21,510. The number of Post Office telegraph stations was 138 and there were 33 railway telegraph stations in the colony. During the time he had held office as Postmaster-General, he had taken considerable trouble to initiate a system which, he might say, had been very successful and that had had the effect of extending telegraphic communication to several rural districts which, under the old system, were altogether deprived of that means of communication. Under the old system, when the telegraph was extended to any place, the department had to send an operator there, involving altogether an expense of £500 to start with and then an annual expenditure of about £300 a year. Under what he might call the two thirds system, however, which he had introduced, the department simply extended the telegraph line to a township and the local postmaster received two-thirds of the receipts. By that system, the Government saved a large annual expenditure. Besides, this system enabled them to give telegraphic communication to districts which, under the old system could not have hoped for the blessings of the telegraph at present. There were 29 stations under the two thirds system during the last year. The revenue from telegraphs, he might state, was £17,000, exclusive of Government telegrams, and the number of telegrams sent last year was 732,869, At that late hour, he would not detain them with any lengthened remarks, but he might state that, whether in the Government or in Opposition, he should always co-operate with their member, Mr. Cameron (who he hoped would remain so for a very long time) in promoting the interests of the district (Cheers.) The post-office, the telegraph and the school-house, were the precursors and leaders of civilisation, and there could be no doubt that this district would receive its due share of the benefits of all these agencies". |
Two rubber vertical rectangular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps, in slightly different formats, were used at Lilydale. | |
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21 October 1968. Used on AA-DO-13D. |
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7 December 1972. Used on AA-EO-18E. |
Mooroolbark. The Telegraph The railway line to Lilydale - and hence almost certainly the telegraph line - was washed away at Mooroolbark in the July 1891 floods. |
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The Office was issued with a rubber oval TELEGRAPH SECTION (RO2 - TS) in the 1970s.
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30 November 1979. |
Northcote. (Whittlesea Branch). The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876. |
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Early usage. The earliest indication of the operation of the Northcote Telegraph Office is a message on a telegram delivery form (VC-DO-14) received at Bendigo on 20 January 1893 from Northcote. This is earliest recorded date for the Bendigo Belt and Buckle date stamp (previously used as Sandhurst). |
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Date stamps.
The Telegraph office was issued with three types of date stamp for use with telegraphic work:
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8 August 1889. (earliest recorded date). |
19 July (?) 1893. |
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Detail of the Northcote Belt & Buckle date stamp of 26 March 1890 on the cover above. |
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22 April 1949. |
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2 May 1984. Used on AT-DO-15B. |
The usual Post Office date stamps were also used on telegrams. | Northcote 65 duplex. 24 April 1896. Has dots for separators. Used on VC-DO-.15A. |
Northcote C unframed date stamp. 20 June 1898. Has dashes for separation markers. Used on VC-DO-16B. |
Pheasant Creek.
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Preston. (Whittlesea Branch). The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876. The Office was issued with a two formats of circular rubber date stamps: |
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1. a large Post & Telegraph (RC2 - P&TO) date stamp with a scarce design and size.
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4 March 1935. Only recorded example. |
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2. a small circular Telegraph Office date stamp (RC1 - TO):
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13 January 1976. Used on a window delivery envelope. Only recorded exmple. |
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The usual Post Office date stamps were also used on telegrams. | Preston postal date stamp. 20 October 1938. Letters occupy more of the circumference. |
Preston postal date stamp. 17 October 1953. Used on AW-DO-13A. |
In May 1887, a deputation informed the Postmaster-General of the
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It has not yet been determined when the Ringwood Telegraph Office opened. In 1890, the Post Office did not handle telegrams but the Telegraph Office at the Railway Station transmitted 1,385 messages and received 1,172. Neither were open in 1894.
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The Telegraph Office was issued with one format of a rubber oval TELEGRAPH date stamp (RO6-T) which was used in violet.
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Used on AT-DO-15A. |
Rosanna.
The Telegraph Office The Office was issued with a rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH date stamp (RRH1-T).
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7 November 1988. Used on AT-DO-15B. |
Warburton. A Post Office was opened at Warburton on 1 October 1863. On 12 July 1865, Warburton was renamed Launching Place. On 1 November 1874, a Post Office at Hoddle's Creek was then renamed Warburton PO but it was then renamed back to Hoddle's Creek on 1 January 1879. A Post Office was then established at Warburton in about 1884. |
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Warbuton had no telegraphic traffic reported in the 1889 Annual Report for the Department. |