South Australia - Colonial period: 1855-1900.
Lines in the Wallaroo, Morgan, Terowie to Port Pirie region.

The discussion on this page is separated into:

  1. the line from Gawler through Kapunda and Clare to Kooringa;
  2. the cross-country line from Auburn to Kadina;
  3. the lines south of Clare including the extension to Balaklava and Port Wakefield;
  4. the lines north from Clare to Laura;
  5. the lines to Port Pirie.
  6. the lines to Port Broughton;
  7. the lines north from Kooringa;
  8. special telegram rates in 1902.

This map continues further north to Port Augusta, Quorn and Oodla Wirra.

  
This map continues to Overland Corner and NSW.
This map continues south west to Yorke Peninsula and to Port Wakefield, Salisbury and the Barossa.  

1. Line from Gawler through Kapunda to Clare to Kooringa.

After the line to Gawler was completed in 1857, plans were made to extend the line north. By May 1859, a Telegraph Office was open at Kapunda. Three lines were erected between Gawler and Kapunda - two for the railway.

In 1860, the telegraph line was continued north to Clare and then to Kooringa (Burra) . Kooringa was a major mining area for copper mining activities. These activities were extremely demanding for, at this time, Kooringa hosted the world's largest copper mine (called Monster Mine) - and clearly telegraphic communications were urgently required. There was also a significant need for a railway to Kooringa - and the report of a 1863 meeting in Kooringa reveals both the depth of support for such an undertaking as well as the conditions that prevailed at that time. A railway line from Roseworthy opened at Kooringa (Burra) on 29 August 1870 (the same year as a rabbit plague arrived).

Telegraph stations were opened at Clare and Kooringa but an application made in August 1860 to open a telegraph station at Auburn was rejected.

The length of the Gawler-Kooringa telegraph line was 91 miles.

The copper mines at Burra first closed in 1877.

On 7 August 1861, the House accepted a proposal to include Auburn on this major line. Given the amount of telegraphic traffic, a second line to Clare was also constructed. The Auburn Office opened on 3 January 1862. Telegraph Offices were also opened at Riverton (1864) and at Watervale (1866) (see Section 3 below). Both of these towns had the main line to Clare passing through their main street but there had been no plans to connect them because of time pressures to extend the line north. Riverton was also later connected along the Roseworthy - Peterborough telegraph and railway line .

There were then two options to consider:

  1. to construct lines to the north to Port Pirie and Port Augusta;
  2. to construct a branch line to the west towards the Yorke Peninsula.

It was decided that the second of these options was the better given the limited resources. Hence the construction activity to the north was suspended - both from Clare and from Kooringa - until the 1870s.

 

In the South Australian Register of 24 July 1874, a statement of the discussion in the House of the previous day was reproduced:

TELEGRAPH COMMUNICATION WITH LAURA.

"Mr. Watta moved 'That it is desirable that a telegraph station be established at Laura in terms of the Petition No. 106 presented to this House. He said some time since he presented a petition from residents of Laura and the surrounding district praying for a telegraph station. The petition stated that a telegraph station there would be of great benefit.The size aud position of Laura warranted a station being there; besides which it was also the centre of an agricultural district and Hon. members would see how necessary it was for such a district to have speedy means of communication with Adelaide. He might state that the line at present passed through the township so that the expense of giving telegraph communication to Laura would be very small. He understood also that there were persons at Laura who were willing to afford accommodation temporarily for a telegraph station and he hoped therefore that the motion would be carried.

Mr. Rees thoroughly agreed as to the desirability of extending telegraph communication to Laura but he would move to add to the motion the words 'and that the telegraph be extended thence to Jamestown'. Jamestown was a rising place and all the essentials referred to by Mr. Watts might be equally applied to that township. He did not know if the Government would object to the amendment but he thought they would recognise the importance of bringing the whole of the township of the northern areas into telegraphic communication with Adelaide.

The Chief Secretary (Hon. A. Blyth) said the Government had called for a report from the Superintendent of Telegraphs upon the best way to extend telegraphic communication to Laura and Jamestown. The arrangements about giving a room in a house temporarily were not always satisfactory but, in new townships, it was desirable to make some preliminary arrangement before at once deciding upon erecting a telegraph station. As the wire passed through Laura, it was a very natural wish on the part of the people that they should make some use of it. Laura was better situated in this respect than Jamestown - the latter place being ten or eleven miles from the wire. He could not offer any opposition to the motion although the Government would take it as meaning 'extending telegraphic communication to Laura' rather than building a telegraph station there. If the residents there would place a room at the disposal of the Government they would not refuse it, and their object would be to have communication established with Laura in time for the next harvest.

Mr. Angus was glad that the Government had acceded to the request and was pleased that Laura was likely so soon to be brought into telegraphic communication with Adelaide. There was a great deal of weight in Mr. Rees's remarks about Jamestown and he hoped the Chief Secretary would also endeavour to extend similar accommodation to Caltowie which lay about midway between Laura and Jamestown and could be easily served with telegrapic communication. At Georgetown the telegraphic business was very heavy and the establisment of offices at Laura and other places would greatly relieve the pressure on that office and be a great convenience to persons in and near the township. He supported Mr. Rees in his application for Jamestown and he hoped Caltowie would be included.

Mr. West-Erskine said he had no objection to support the motion — in fact he always did support motions of that kind. He noticed, however, that a great change had taken place in the opinions of the Chief Secretary who now was in favour of telegraph commuication being extended where the telegraph lines passed through a township although he opposed strongly his efforts to obtain a telegraph station at Echunga — a township through which the line passed. Great convenience had resulted to persons in that locality in consequence of a station being opened there and he knew that, since its establishment, the line had been self-supporting. It had also proved that no disadvantage resulted from the station being in a private bouse.

Mr. Myles seconded Mr. Rees's amendment. Mr. Laurie had no desire to oppose the motion but, as several motions had been brought forward for the extension of the telegraph, he would press the claims of Millicent to have telegraphic communication. The line passed through the township and it would be of very great advantage to a large number of farmers there if a station were provided. He thought it was very desirable to extend telegraphic communication throughout the colony where practicable and especially so when the liue passed through a township.

The amendment was carried and the motion as amended carried".

In 1877 (after the Overland Telegraph line had been operating for a few years), yet another wire between Adelaide and Clare was required - at a cost of £2,000.

 

2. Line from Auburn to Kadina.

Given the decision to construct lines towards the Yorke Peninsula, the questions which then confronted Todd and his planning team required decisions relating to:

  1. the starting point for the construction of the westward line - Clare or Auburn;
  2. the destination - Kadina or Wallaroo.

By 1861, there had been little development - apart from some sheep graziers and pastoralists - in the area that would be named the Yorke Peninsula. The South Australian Weekly Chronicle of 9 March 1861 (p. 4) reported:

"We have received from the Commissioner of Crown Lands two beautifully executed plans of the new townships at Wallaroo. The one is a plan of the inland township, named Kadina; the other of Wallaroo township proper, namely, the township of the bay. The numbers of the allotments and the names of the streets are all given and. as the plans are drawn to a scale of four chains to an inch, the various allotments are most distinctly indicated. There are also useful tables of areas included in each map. To parties interested in land purchases at Wallaroo and its neighborhood these plans, which can be purchased for a trifle at the Crown Lands Office, will be found exceedingly useful".

In the House of Assembly on 1 May 1861, Mr Dutton asked the Honourable the Commissioner of Public Works (Mr. Hay) "whether provisions will be made on the Estimates for the extension of the electric telegraph to Wallaroo". Later in the debate, a request was made to cause a sum of £5,000 to be placed on the Estimates for the purpose of making a road between Port Wallaroo and Kadina.

On 3 May, 1861 the House proceedings, printed in the South Australian Weekly Chronicle of 4 May 1861 (p. 1), record:

"The Government has intimated their intention to carry the electric telegraph to Wallaroo. We have no doubt of its much more than paying its expenses, should affairs progress satisfactorily on the Peninsula, for with so many Companies and such a fierce competition in that district, the telegraphic wires would, no doubt, be largely availed of. But whilst expressing this opinion in favor of telegraphic extension in that direction, we cannot help feeling that a general report on the prospects of the Wallaroo settlement ought to be laid before Parliament as quickly as possible.

One disbursement necessitates another, and it is, therefore, expedient not only to begin at the beginning but to look to the end. A jetty implies a road, a road implies a  telegraph, a telegraph implies a station, and a Post Office. Then again there must be a Harbor Master and Collector of Customs, also police and a police station, a Magistrate and a Local Court House, etc ...

We will not, however, particularise too minutely. Mr. Goyder is charged by the Government with the duty of making a very exact survey of the district, and we merely repeat the hope that the fullest information may be speedily laid before Parliament, in order that Wallaroo may be dealt with as a whole, instead of in a patchwork and fragmentary manner".

In the South Australian Weekly Chronicle of 4 May 1861 (p. 1):

"We presume that if a telegraphic line to Wallaroo be resolved upon, it will be taken from Auburn, where the wire already is and which is about 60 miles from Wallaroo, almost due east and west. The cost would be about £50 per mile -making, say £3,000 for the line across and no intermediate station would be necessary. This represents the total expense between Auburn and Wallaroo. Of course a station at Wallaroo would be needful, and it may probably be considered expedient to erect a building that would answer jointly for telegraph and post office. For this, about £1,000 will be needed; or, say £1,000 in the whole. There is no station at Auburn and messages between Adelaide and Wallaroo would consequently have to go via Clare unless the importance of the Wallaroo station were held to justify the establishment of a station at Auburn, in which case probably the Riverton and Watervale people might be connected, by short branch wires with Auburn". (ED: Clearly there was some misunderstanding in that report).

On 5 August 1861, the House accepted a proposal to extend the line of telegraphs to Kadina. The line was always regarded as being very important because it would bring the mineral district of Yorke's Peninsula into instant communication with Adelaide and other parts of the colony. This acceptance of Kadina is reflected in the statement to the House on 30 May 1862: "Mr. Hart presented a petition from certain residents of Port Wallaroo, praying the House to place a sufficient sum on the Estimates for the current year for continuing the telegraph between Auburn and Kadina to Port Wallaroo, and for defraying the expense of a terminal station at Port Wallaroo".

In June 1862, the line from Auburn to Wallaroo/Kadina was being pegged out by the line inspectors and it was estimated that construction would take no more than two months:

"l see the posts for the line of telegraph in connection with the city (Wallaroo) are laid on the ground ready for putting up; so to judge from this, we shall not be much longer without magnetic communication with not only Adelaide but other ports of the province and the neighbouring colonies. That, of course, will be a great boon to the mercantile portion of our community which has now become so large as to fill a prominent position amongst the many districts in the province."
(South Australian Register 17 July 1862).

On 6 September 1862, the South Australian Register (p. 2) announced that:

"We are glad to have to announce that telegraphic communication was established between Adelaide and Kadina yesterday afternoon, when congratulatory messages were exchanged between Captain Hughes and His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief. We have been favoured with copies of these messages by Mr. Todd, the Superintendent of Telegraphs, and they will be found with our telegraphic news. The importance of this line to the extensive mineral district on Yorke's Peninsula can scarcely be overrated. Captain Hughes loses no time in pleading for an immediate extension of the wires to Port Wallaroo. The scale of charges for messages will be found in our advertising columns".

In December 1862, a massive storm hit the area around Auburn and several telegraph poles were destroyed. This damage cut communications with Kadina/Wallaroo.

A number of telegraph stations were progressively opened along of from the line. For example, a Telegraph Office was opened on the line at Hoyleton in 1873. Addiitional lines were constructed from the main line south-west to Balaklava and to Port Wakefield in 1877 (see next section) and north from Hoyleton to Blyth in 1879.

A line to Snowtown was constructed from Kadina in 1880.

3. Lines south of Clare

As noted in Section 1 above, on 7 August 1861, the House made several decisions in relation to the Kapunda-Clare line and "a branch to Riverton from Auburn was also half promised". The following day (8 August 1861), the House approved the expenditure to be placed on the Estimates for a telegraph line extension linking Auburn with Riverton. Riverton was on the main line to Clare with the line passing through the township. A connection could therefore be made with minimum costs. On 25 August, 1861 the Commissioner of Public Works informed the House that he intended to approve the connection to Riverton and that it should be by means of a branch line from Auburn. The approval for this Branch line was given by the House on 21 October and the sum of £170 allocated to the work. The connection with Riverton was effected on 1 March 1864.

Almost immediately, the residents of Mintaro were asking for the extension of the telegraph line from Watervale to Mintaro after Watervale had been allocated funds for its branch line from Auburn. That request was deferred. It was however ultimately accepted when the additional main line to the north was extended to follow the railway line from Gawler via Saddleworth on to Mintaro (1870) and Farrell's Flat (1871).

In 1877, the residents of Saddleworth were proposing the need for a Post & Telegraph Office in their town. One argument they put forward was the current practice of telegrams being sent from Saddleworth having to be repeated at Riverton. This leads to the conclusion that the line would have been from the Saddleworth Railway Station (known as Saddleworth Central until it ceased to be listed in 1910) to Riverton then Auburn and onwards in either direction. That telegraph line continued further north in association with the Wasley's railway line to link to Mintaro and Farrell's Flat at the beginning of 1871. Other offices opened along the route in later years.

A tramway was constructed from Port Wakefield to Hoyleton via Balaklava and Halbury by 1869. The length of the tramway was about 30 miles. It was a horse-drawn tramway and was intended to help farmers to transfer their crops to the Port. There was opposition to the tramway because Port Wakefield was viewed by some as being totally underdeveloped - comprising "a few houses, an old woman and a cat". There was debate in the House about it even being a Port - with the claim that "one person had to walk for 4 miles over the sand before reaching water". Nevertheless the tramway was constructed - thanks to the efforts of the local M.P. Mr. Bright - and it was completed in 1869. It was then seen to be important to have not just postal facilities but also telegraph facilities along the tramway to communicate with the Port. Hence a line of telegraphs was constructed along the tramway from Hoyleton (on the line to Kadina) south-west to Port Wakefield.

The town of Balaklava on the tramway line was in a difficult location. On the one hand, a telegraph line (probably the Auburn-Kadina line) had been constructed close to (if not through) the town but that line was not accessible to the public. On 22 November 1872, during the House discussion, Mr Bright asked "when the Balaklava Station on the Port Wakefield Railway would be connected with the telegraph line". The Commissioner of Public Works replied that "There is no provision for a telegraph station at Balaklava and the telegraph line not following the tramway being constructed before it would necessitate a line of considerable length". On 2 January 1875, the South Australian Chronicle commented on the forthcoming elections by noting "The coming elections are not yet exciting much attention but the candidates for Parliament will undoubtedly be asked to pledge themselves to endeavor to get telegraphic communication established between Balaklava and the rest o£ the civilised world. A telegraph line runs within about three miles of the township so that a branch would be but a small undertaking and is certainly necessary in a place which boasts of a railway station and sends away thousands of bushels of wheat every week". Again, in 1877, "although having a wire passing through Balaklava, we have to send to Port Wakefield, a distance of 14 miles, to get a telegram transmitted and then patiently wait until evening for a reply". A Telegraph Office had to be constructed soon.

The Estimates for 1877 included £1,000 for repoling and extending the Hoyleton - Kadina telegraph line to Balaklava as a second installment. The connection to Halbury did not happen until 1907 at the same time as telephone facilities were announced.

 

 

4. Lines north from Clare to Laura.

The telegraph line in this section was constructed in the effort to reach Port Augusta. Further work was required - especially to construct the telegraph stations - but the main focus had to be on the Overland Telegraph line.

After the OLT had been completed towards the end of 1872, there was a pause in construction activity in this region. Telegraph offices were opened at Georgetown, at Laura and then at Gladstone. .

Wirrabara
Telegraph poles being carted from the forest between
Laura and Wirrabara

Various arguments were put forward for telegraphic (and postal) communication in this relatively recently established area.

Georgetown: "the time has now come when it is necessary that postal communication be established between Georgetown and Port Pirie. Most of the goods that were required in this neighborhood were being brought by Port Pirie and after harvest a great deal of wheat would have to be taken there and a great deal of business would be transacted between Georgetown and Port Pirie. He thought therefore that it would be very necessary to have a mail between those two places" ... a Telegraph Station should be established at Georgetown before the harvest is gathered in. He considered that the Telegraph Station was even of more importance than the additional mail they were asking for, and a telegraph line ran close by the township. He thought that a branch might be established without any heavy outlay and the advantages would be very great" (South Australian Advertiser 2 October 1871.

The people in the towns near to the telegraph line raised their voices to explain why they should have telegraph offices. For example, in January 1874, the Evening Journal (p. 3) reported:

"Georgetown, the capital of Gulnare, is a thriving go-ahead place. At the time of my visit, it presented a particularly lively appearance. The street was thronged with wagons and bullock-drays and it was apparent that a brisk business was being done. The townsmen have lately had the benefit of telegraphic communication bestowed upon them and they are jubilant thereat. It was certainly absurd that the line should pass through the town and that the privilege of "wiring" should be denied them; but the long-sought concession has after long delay been granted, and all are satisfied".

The Adelaide Observer of 10 January 1874 (p. 4) noted:

"With very little trouble, telegraphic communication might be given to Laura. The wires pass through or quite near the town, and the expenses of connection and making all other arrangements would be small. There is, however, a station at Georgetown which is a very few miles distant and the inhabitants will not suffer much from their inability to send messages from their own doors until the population will justify any expense that would be entailed in providing an office".

On 28 July 1874, The Northern Argus (p.2) noted:

"Telegraphic Communication: "The desirability of having telegraphic communication with the various townships in the areas has again been considered by the Assembly. Already the wire passes through Laura and it was moved by Mr. Watts that a station be established there. A private room would be placed at the disposal of the Government for a time. The offer has been accepted and Laura is promised to have communication opened before harvest. The claims of Jamestown and Caltowie were also considered and the motion was amended so as to embrace these two places. The wire will therefore be extended to these townships with as little delay as possible".

On 4 September 1874 (p. 7) the South Australian Register noted:

"A  telegraph office at Gladstone would soon pay and as the line to Laura passes within half a mile connection with it and the erection of a structure need not be costly; in fact, a room might be rented at first, in the same way as has been elsewhere. The residents would like to have more frequent postal communication with the south".

On 17 September 1874, the House of Assembly discussed telegraphic communication in the two Northern areas.

"Mr Rees asked when it was the intention of the Government to extend  telegraphic communication via Laura and Jamestown and Gladstone. The Chief Secretary (Hon. A. Blyth) could not answer the Hon. Member as to the exact route by which telegraphic communication would be extended to the Northern Areas, but the attention of the Superintendent of Telegraphs had been directed to the subject for a report thereon, and that report had not yet reached the Government".

In a meeting with the Chief Secretary, the Commissioner of Public Works and the Postmaster-General (Mr. Todd), a deputation of Jamestown citizens presented a memorial noting " The postal arrangements were inconvenient; the people required a daily mail to meet their wants. Telegraphic communication was greatly needed and ought to be established as soon as possible ... Mr Todd said the telegraph line would be extended to Jamestown as soon as practicable after the money had been voted". (The Express and Telegraph 27 May 1875, p. 2).

In June 1875, the House of Assembly was reviewing a number of proposals including the establishment of a daily mail service to Jamestown and telegraphic communication between Jamestown and Georgetown. In October 1875, the House allocated £1,200 for the construction of a telegraph line from Gladstone to Jamestown. In a review of finances in the House in August 1877, it was revealed £693 of that amount was unexpended.

The tender for the telegraph poles to construct the line from Gladstone and Jamestown was let to W. Thompson. The cost is 18s 6d per pole and 17s 6d per strut. This 12 mile line was completed in 1877 at a cost of £1,200.

 

5. Lines to Port Pirie.

The telegraph line from Adelaide through Salisbury to Clare was completed in 1860. From Clare, the line headed in a slightly north-west direction and it then passed through Yacka to Georgetown where the Telegraph Office opened on 13 December 1873. The Evening Journal of 9 January 1874 described the celebrations in Georgetown but pointed out that "it was certainly absurd that the line should pass through the town and that the privilege of "wiring" should be denied them. But the long-sought concession has, after a long delay, been granted and all are satisfied".

A common problem faced in the 1870s in this area was the wheat price. The South Australian Register of 13 February 1874 tells a very common story:

"The further we get into the busy season, the more the want of telegraphic facilities are felt. The other day wheat fluctuated at Port Pirie as much as 5d. per bushel. Reports soon got spread and the consequence was that business in corn buying was stopped till proper advices had been received. This would be obviated by a small expenditure to bring the wire about 150 yards as the main north line runs along the western frontage of the town".

Gladstone was an important centre in this region because of the railway linking Gladstone to Port Pirie. In the South Australian Register of 4 December 1873 a debate in the House of Assembly is noted in which the Commissioner of Public Works states that "A survey line has been run between Georgetown and Gladstone which has proved that it is possible to connect Georgetown with the Port Pirie and  Gladstone (railway) line". The Chief Secretary than added "If the proposed line of telegraph to Western Australia is carried out, Parliament will be asked next session to consider the question of extending telegraph communication to Port Lincoln from some point of the new line". Even given this survey, the residents in the general area were - in 1878 - still pushing for the construction of the railway to connect Blythe to Yacka and Georgetown to Gladstone.

A deputation met with Mr. Todd in November 1873

"to urge the advisability of establishing telegraphic communication with Port Pirie (from Georgetown). It was pointed out that the port in question had become a place of considerable importance ; that there was a large amount of shipping there; and that the wheat export was very great indeed. The disadvantages of the present tardy communication — a bi-weekly mail — were referred to and a hope was expressed that, as Port Pirie was increasing largely in trade and population, it might have the advantage of more speedy communication with the metropolis. Mr. Todd, in replying, said the importance of Port Pirie had been recognised inasmuch as there was a sum down on the Estimates for the extension of the line from Georgetown to the port and as soon as the Estimates were passed, the work would be commenced. Whether he could get it completed before next harvest, as he believed they wished, he did not know but he did not think there would be any difficulty about that if there was no delay with the Estimates. It also depended upon whether he could get the insulators and other materials which were not always procurable here; but as he had taken steps to order a lot in anticipation of this work, he did not expect to experience any difficulty of this character" (The Express and Telegraph, 18 November 1873).

On 29 November 1873, Mr Angas moved in the House that the item:

"Telegraph to Port Pirie from Georgetown, £1,500" be amended to add the word Gladstone and strike out Georgetown but he was ruled but of order. He then moved that "Georgetown be struck out". He did not in anyway wish to prevent Georgetown having the benefit of the telegraph but he considered it would be better to have a direct line to Gladstone where there was likely to be considerable settlement.

Mr Pearce supported the amendment as he thought Georgetown being seven miles away from the railway line could be looped onto a line from Gladstone to Port Pirie. He supposed that the item was for the line only.

The word Gladstone was struck out and the item was passed".

In the House of Assembly on 18 December 1873, the Commissioner of Public Works noted that "he hoped that the telegraph line - at least from Crystal Brook to Port Pirie - would be completed before the harvest of 1874".

As is all too common in Australia, a disastrous bush fire broke out in December 1873. It swept through Spring Creek, Willowie, Booleroo, Charlton, Laura, Gladstone, Broughton, Crystal Brook, Hummocks and Appila - most of these being agricultural areas.

A letter from a reader in Gladstone to the Kapunda Herald in early March 1874 notes "A telegraph line is being surveyed from here to Port Pirie and soon you will be in communication with what will, at no distant date, be the largest port in South Australia - Port Adelaide only excepted".

But wait - there's more to the story. The correspondent in the Kapunda Herald, who had sent the story above, had to add more in the 21 April 1874 edition:

"I informed you some weeks back that we (Gladstone) were shortly going to be connected with Port Pirie by telegraph. The poles were placed along the road from here through Hughes' Gap. Now after the poles have been carried to their places, someone has found out that it would be better to put the telegraph the same route as the railway line and hence the telegraph poles are being taken up, thrown in heaps, and of course will have to be carried away to their places - many miles away as the railway comes to Gladstone quite another route from what any sane man would think of making a road".

The Evening Journal of 1 May 1874 reported "telegraph wires have been stretched for a distance of about 10 miles out of Port Pirie. When the line is finished to Georgetown, the communication thus established will be a great boon".

At a Public Meeting in Laura in May 1874, "steps were ordered to be taken immediately to procure a telegraph station at Laura, the stations at Melrose and Georgetown being too distant and the line actually passing through, but not communicating with Laura".

The telegraph link from Georgetown to Gladstone was completed on 28 May 1875 and the Telegraph Office at Gladstone was opened on 6 June 1875.

A deputation informed the residents on 29 May 1876 that the Gladstone - Port Pirie Railway had been completed between Port Pirie and Crystal Brook but that "no accommodation was provided for passengers and that goods could not be sent inland by the line". The telegraph line was constructed along the railway line and so it passed through the town.

The residents of Crystal Brook were also agitating for telegraphic facilities. On 15 May 1876 (in the Northern Argus of 23 May), they were told the Commissioner of Public Works would shortly open the railway "to the Brook" but now they were informed he would not visit until the railway to Gladstone was complete - possibly not for another 12 months. "The telegraph passed their township but they derived no advantage from it and it was full time they had an office for it would be a great injustice to deprive them of the telegraph till the railway was finished ... Mr. E. P. Evans proposed that the Commissioner of Public Works be requested to open a Post Office and Telegraph Office at Crystal Brook.  The present office was insufficient for the place for the postal business had greatly increased. A larger building was required and it would answer for a Telegraph Office as well. Mr. Lewis seconded. He was sure the farmers would be greatly benefited by the telegraph as well as business men".

In a meeting with the Governor, reported in the Express and Telegraph of 8 December 1876, Crystal Brook residents had pointed out they had been promised telegraph communication with Adelaide by the previous Commissioner. Nearly a year after the Commissioner's meeting, the South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail (24 March 1877, p. 17) observed "We (Crystal Brook) are still without telegraph communication and, considering the extremely moderate expense to be incurred in connecting a wire with the main line which has passed through the township about two years and carrying it into the goods shed, it is a disgrace to the authorities that it has been so long withheld. How much longer we are to wait it is impossible to say. It was promised by the wheat season — so much for the Ministerial promises".

The last report must have been written some time previously because the Telegraph Office at Crystal Brook opened on 23 March 1877.

Parliament authorised several lines be constructed in this area in 1877. One of these lines was that to Redhill either from Georgetown via Narridy or from Crystal Brook direct, 1 miles - cost £1,000.

6. Lines to Port Broughton.

From the South.

Railway lines had been opened in various localities in this general region. On issue was the transport of produce to one or the other of the ports at Wallaroo, Broughton or Wakefield. These lines served the broader region including Blyth, Snowtown, Balaklava and Riverton. The railway lines often facilitated telegraphic connections.

The Wallaroo Times of 20 March 1879 reported these developments as follows:

"the telegraph line between Kadina and Snowtown is now all but completed. The contractors, Messrs. Crocombe and Cook, on Thursday last connected the wire with the Kadina office. At the Snowtown end, there were a few square posts to erect and these will be put up long before any building is ready to receive the wire - no provision having as yet been made by the Government. This will be a great boon when in operation to the settlers, who have but very secondary postal arrangements at present. It will also be advantageous to the wheat buyers and others who are connected with the new township which at the present time presents a very busy appearance. Buildings are going up fast and, from their extent, it is evident the promoters have perfect faith in the future prosperity of the place."

The Telegraph Office at Snowtown opened on 7 July 1880 - a mere 14 months after the line had been finished! No Telegraph Operator had been appointed. The towns people understood they would have to wait some time - as they had not requested one!! Ironically the Post and Telegraph Office at the Snowtown Railway Station was almost completed by the end of May 1880.

A number of petitions had requested the construction of a telegraph line to Port Broughton taking it from Kadina via Alford through a thickly populated farming district. That line was constructed and linked the two places in 1888 - the same year as the line from Redhill reached Port Broughton.

From the north.

Narridy-Redhill-Port Broughton

The Government had been regularly petitioned for a line to Port Broughton. Some petitions, ranging back to at least 1872, requested the line to Port Broughton should go from Redhill via Mundoora. These petitions stressed " that a telegraph line to Port Broughton is urgently required. The most convenient route was that via Redhill". In 1877, it was planned to construct the line to Redhill either from Georgetown via Narridy or direct from Crystal Brook. A sum of £1,000 had been allocated and it was estimated the line would be 18 miles in length. The line to Port Broughton via Redhill was finally completed in February 1888.

Within two years, construction resumed with a new line branching from the northern line west towards Port Pirie. That line itself branched after the Crystal Brook office was opened in 1877 south to Narridy (which was proclaimed as a township and granted local government in 1876 on the basis of the wheat growing in the area) and then later extended to Red Hill and then 13 km to Koolunga.

At a meeting at Narridy on 2 October 1876, a public meeting with the District Councillors discussed many matters of importance to the community:

Mr. John Dixon was voted to the chair. He said he thought all present would agree as to the advantage of being brought into direct communication with the various parts of the colony and the world by means of a line of telegraph, more particularly during the wheat season, when it was of consequence to know the state of the wheat market. He had observed that a sum of money had been placed upon the Estimates for a telegraph station at Redhill, and the construction of a line thereto, and therefore the present was a favourable time to make known their wants in that respect. Narridy being directly in the line between Georgetown and Redhill, the line would probably pass through their township, and Georgetown, being at present a repeating station, he thought a better route to reach Redhill could not be found than from Georgetown via Narridy (Adelaide Observer 7 October 1876, p. 6).

On 23 June 1877, a public meeting at Winch's Hotel in Redhill requested "That this meeting respectfully ask the Government to allow us to have telegraphic communication with Adelaide as soon as the telegraphic line is completed to Georgetown".

In July 1877, the branch telegraph line from Georgetown to Narridy and Redhill was being constructed. At Narridy, the poles were erected and so work towards Redhill would soon commence. By August the line had been completed but not yet able to be used until the Post & Telegraph Offices were finished - especially the battery rooms. This wire incorporated a special feature - a wire fastened from the top and bottom of each post to act as a lightning conductor.

By August 1878, suggestions were being made that a telegraph line could be brought from Redhill to Port Broughton at a small cost. Such an extension would be especially important for merchants and shippers during the wheat season.

At a "monster meeting" at the Port Broughton Hotel on 24 October 1882 a number of proposals were adopted to address "the wants of the district" One of these 'wants' was that "That a memorial be sent to the Minister of Education, praying for the extension of the telegraph line from Redhill to Port Broughton via Mundoora" (South Australian Advertiser 26 October 1882).

Little was advanced in the following years. On 28 May 1886, a meeting at Port Broughton resolved "That the Government be asked to place a sum on the Estimates for the construction before harvest of a telegraph line to Port Broughton and would suggest that the line should come by way of Alford and Kadina" (Adelaide Observer 29 May 1886 p. 32).

In July 1886, the Adelaide Observer (24 July 1886, p. 41) noted that: "The great need of a telegraph line has long been felt here, and it has been ascertained that the larger proportion of telegrams from Redhill has been sent by the wheat merchants, farmers and others living within a radius of 14 miles from here, and that if the Government were to connect this line of telegraph with the Port Broughton and Barunga Range Railway the same could be worked at a very small cost. A guarantee list has been prepared, and an amount equal to 5 per cent of the cost of the construction has been subscribed by wheat merchants and trades people".

In yet another meeting on 16 August 1887, "Mr. E. W. Hawker, M..P. and Mr. C. Kimber, M.P. presented to the Minister of Education (Hon. J. C. F. Johnson) a petition signed by 141 persons, asking for the construction of a telegraph line between Port Broughton and Redhill. The Minister replied that he would cause an enquiry to be made to see if their request could be complied with" (Adelaide Observer 20 August 1887 p. 35).

Finally some action was taken at the end of 1887. " The line from Redhill to Port Broughton is pegged out by Mr. Knuckey. He examined two routes - first via Collinsfield and Keilli and next direct from Redhill to Mundoora. The latter route Mr. Knuckey is inclined to favour as it is about 2 miles nearer to the ranges and offers no serious obstruction. He is of opinion that steps will be taken to push on the construction immediately" (Adelaide Observer 3 December 1887, p. 32). The line to Port Broughton was apparently completed on 18 February 1888.

 

7. Lines north from Kooringa

These lines provided an important alternative route to that through Georgetown and, in addition, they were constructed along the Roseworthy - Peterborough railway line. The railway line reached Hallett from Kooringa on 10 March 1878.

On 5 July 1878, the Burra Record noted that "The Burra to Hallett telegraph line is being rapidly wired and should shortly be in use. Meanwhile,  the Hallett Telegraph Station Master points out the irony that even at this later date, the inhabitants (of Hallett) are not in electric circuit with the rest of the world". Telegraphic communication between Adelaide and Hallett was established on 13 September 1878.

In December 1879, there was significant traffic passing through Terowie. A one chain road was being surveyed as a joint undertaking between the Government and the township. The railway line was also being constructed from Hallett although "even the most sanguine do not expect the railway line completed to Terowie for another two years". It was however hoped that telegraphic communication could be established because of the significant need for it. The railway line reached Terowie on 14 December 1880.

In August 1880, Terowie residents were still anxious that their new Post and Telegraph Office should be completed without delay - and it was later that month.