New South Wales: 1858-1988.
Telegraph Offices in the south-west region.

The Yass Telegraph Office was part of the first line to Victoria. Details are therefore included elsewhere.

Telegraph Offices in this region which created the first line to South Australia from New South Wales included Deniliquin, Moulamein, Balranald, Euston and Wentworth.

Public wharves were established by proclamation on 13 April 1872 along the river at Corowa, Mulwala, Tucumwal, Moama, Swan Hill, Euston and Wentworth. These establishments reflect the economic activity which was being generated in the area and so the increased need for telegraphic communications.

Balranald.

The Telegraph Office opened in 1866 and combined with the Post Office on 1 August 1870.

The Post Office had opened on 1 January 1850.


Balranald Post & Telegraph Station - maybe 1890s.


Balranald Post & Telegraph Station - new building about 1900.
Balranald Echuca Echuca to Balranald
4 November 1872.

OHMS cover addressed to the Telegraph Station Master.

Has a 2d dull lilac mauve De La Rue design.

Cover had crossed the Murray River from Moama to Echuca on 2 November and passed the Customs inspection as shown by the NSW intaglion Crown hand stamp.

Very rare.

Corinphila May 2018 Lot 3464.
Barmedman.

A Telegraph Office was opened on 10 September 1883 and that merged with the Post Office on 1 October 1883. The Post Office had originally been opened when Wyalong changed name to Barmedman on 22 May 1882.
No special date stamp for use with telegraphs was issued to the Office.
The usual postal date stamp was therefore used.

H&T Type 1D (i).

Diameter: 24 mm.

 

 Marmedman1908
2 July 1908.
Used on 9d Commonwealth issue
which could be used to pay the cost
of a 16 word ordinary rate telegram
to a destination within NSW.
Berrigan.

The Telegraph Office opened on 2 November 1891.

 Berrigan c1890
This photo was taken on the day of opening of the new P&T Office or very soon after.

Booligal.

A Post Office opened on 7 March 1861, closed on 30 September 1865 and then reopened on 7 March 1866.

The Telegraph Office opened on 1 July 1878 and then combined with the Post Office on 1 November 1878.


Booligal Post & Telegraph Office about 1930.
Note the top sign shows Post & Telegraph Office at the right.
Condobolin.

The Telegraph Office was opened in 1878 and merged with the Post Office on 12 August 1878. The Post Office had been opened on 1 July 1858.

Condobolin is the border of the North Central and South West regions but its position along the extension of the Bathurst-Forbes line classifies it as South West for these purposes.

Three formats were used for date stamps for the Telegraph Office.

 Condobolin
  1. Telegraph Office/ Condobolin NSW.
    Date rotated to start under TEL.
    30 December 1953.
    3 line date.

Used: 30 December 1953 to 25 October 1958.

Diameter: 35 mm.

 
  1. Telegraph Office/ Condobolin NSW.
    Date centered under top line.
    3 line date.
    Separation stars level with month.

Used 4 January 1962 to 17 December 1964.

Diameter: 31 mm.

Rated: RRR.

 

 

Condo T
17 December 1964.

Used on AA-DO-3C.
  1. Telegraph Office/ Condobolin NSW 2877.
    1 line date.

Diameter:

22 August 1980.
Cootamundra.

The Post & Telegraph Office at Cootamundra was opened on 1 July 1877 on which date it changed name from CORAMUNDRA.

At that office, a Telegraph Office had been opened on 31 May 1875 and it had combined with the Post Office on 18 December 1876.

 

 Cootamundra

A steel circular TELEGRAPHS COOTAMUNDRA date stamp (SC1 - T) was used for telegraphic related work:

Used: 1921 to 1965.

Diameter: 29 mm.

Rated: RRR.

  
Corowa.

The Telegraph Office opened 21 January 1873 and combined with the Post Office on 1 September 1873.

The Post Office had opened on 1 January 1861.

Corowa was one of the "border towns" - with Wahgunya - and so had an ambiguous position for the calculation of cost for telegrams. The difficulty was emphasised with rates set for under 15 miles. This ambiguity was not resolved until 1939.

 Corowa1
Corowa P&T Office with spire but before clock at top installed.
Corowa 2
Corowa P&T Office about 1900. Spire not yet constructed.
Deniliquin.

The Telegraph Office opened on 1 August 1861 and merged with the Post Office on 1 January 1870. The two offices then separated on 1 August 1875 before recombining again on 29 June 1901.

Tenders for called for the erection of a Telegraph and Post Office, Deniliquin in July 1862.

 

 Deniliquin
Deniliquin P&T Office taken about 1946.

A TELEGRAPHS DENILIQUIN date stamp (SC1-T) was used at the Office:

Used: 22 October 1946 to 21 October 1950.
(Hopson & Tobin suggest 1928 to 1963).

Diameter: 29 mm.

Rated: RRR.

 Denil Teleg
22 October 1946.
Used on AW-DO-10 (43).
The usual Deniliquin postal date stamp was also used on telegrams. Denil 1949
16 August 1949.

Used on a Telegraphic Money Order
(AW-DM-2).
Euston.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 26 April 1867. It merged with the Post Office on 1 January 1870.
Hay.

The Telegraph Office opened on 7 May 1864 under the supervision of Mr. Middleton. It combined with the Post Office on 23 December 1870.

The Post Office had been opened as Lang's Crossing Place on 1 April 1859. The town was renamed Hay in October 1859 and, on 22 February 1861, the Post Office also had a name change. The present Post Office is on the site of the former goal built in 1860.


Hay Telegraph Office about 1880.
Hay 2

Hay & Lands
(Left): Hay Post & Telegraph Office about 1920.

(Above): Hay Post & Telegraph Office with the Department of Lands building to the right.
Even before the telegraph line had been completed, the financial benefits were being anticipated. For example, the Argus of 3 July 1863 carried an advertisement for the sale of the Argyle Hotel which noted, in addition to the facilities, "its close proximity to the Murrumbidgee and to the terminus of the Deniliquin and Hay Telegraph Line renders it a most desirable investment, it being the only hotel in Hay suited to doing a first- class trade".

On 14 September 1872, the Australian Town and Country Journal, in a story about Hay noted:

"The post and telegraph offices are in a nice brick building near the court-house. The duties of the Hay post and telegraph department are no sinecure. 72 mails are received and despatched weekly; and the arrivals of some of these are at the hour "when church-yards yawn" &c. Many of the stations have special mails made up. Mr. R. S. Arnott performs the double duties of post and telegraph master".
Ivanhoe.

The Telegraph Office opened on 5 February1883 and merged with the Post Office on 15 May 1883.

The Post Office had opened on 1 January 1874.

  
Jerilderie.

The Telegraph Office opened on 4 May 1866. It changed name from Jereelderie in 1890.

 Jerelderie
Jerilderie Post & Telegraph Office.
Jerilderie staff
Staff at the Jerilderie Post & Telegraph Office about 1930.		  

Lalalty.

Close to the border with Victoria, a Post Office was opened at Lalalty on the change of name from Naranghi on 1 August 1900. That office was closed on 31 March 1910.

On 24 May 1922, a Telegraph/Telephone Office was opened followed later by a Post Office which operated from 1 January 1927 to 1 August 1930. The joint telegraph/telephone office continued to operate until it was destroyed by fire on 13 February 1939. It was closed on 10 March 1941. It then operated until 7 May 1957 as a Rural Automatic (Telephone) Exchange.

 

The telegraph section of the joint office was issued with a very unusual date stamp for use with telegrams.
It was engraved T. O. K. Lalalty - the initials standing for Telegraph Office Keeper.

Used in black: 12 April 1939 - 1952 (?)

Diameter: 31 mm.

Rated: RRRR

Number in the Census: 2 (only 2 strikes known - both archival).
12 April 1939.
Menindee.

In the late 1860s, Menindee consisted of a few tenements, with a police constable, and a postmaster, who was also hotel- keeper and storekeeper. It had a horse mail to Wentworth. The postal directories and land office surveys of 1866 refers to Menindee as the "Village of Perry".
Milperinka.

The Telegraph Office opened on 27 May 1890 as a P&T office. The Post Office had opened on 16 July 1881 (in lieu of Mount Poole). It changed name to Milperinka in November 1925.

On 22 June 1892, tenders were called for suitable premises at Milperinka for use as a Post & Telegraph Office.

Milperinka
22 July 1897.
Used on 2½d (2/6) Consumptive
Homes Charity stamp.
Early and rare use on this stamp.

Diameter: 24 mm.
Conditions at and around Milperinka were tough in the early 1880s as prospectors looked for gold. The Warden's report, published in the Sydney Morning Herald of 12 April 1881 noted: "There are now about 800 people left on the field, the majority of whom are encamped at Milperinka waterhole 10 miles from Mount Browne old township and seven miles from the nearest diggings. Out of the above number, only about 150 are working, chiefly prospecting and dry blowing. Six parties are washing in a shallow hole at Milperinka, five of whom arc carting the wash dirt seven miles and one 10 miles. All the people are being supplied with water from the reserved hole at Milperinka which has now only about two feet of water in it. This hole is fenced in and is only used for domestic purposes, but the water cannot last much longer. Butter and party have sunk a shaft 80 feet on the flat at tho southern end of Mount Browne, but have not got gold or water. The strata are alluvial deposit for 76 feet, then two feet of blue clay as hard as slate and then black clay. It is intended to sink to 100 feet. A person named James McKesson died suddenly last Friday from natural causes. Large numbers of people left tho diggings last week. It is no use of people coming out here until after rain for they can do nothing without water".

Moama.

Moama is directly across the Murray from Echuca. It had been the Victorian Post Office of Maiden's Punt from 1848 to 1855 when it was transferred to NSW. The Post Office changed name to Moama on 1 January 1858. Unfortunately the Post Office was destroyed by fire in December 1861.

The Telegraph Office was opened at Moama in May, 1862 by William Camper when he was transferred from Kiama. He remained in charge there until March, 1867 when he accompanied Superintendent Cracknell to Wentworth to establish a border repeating office linking up the South Australian, Victorian and New South Wales lines.

  

The Riverine Herald of 11 November 1879 reported:

"The Moama Post-office Site. — The selection of the vacant piece of land adjoining the Custom House, as a site for the new Post and Telegraph Offices at Moama, has given great dissatisfaction to a large number of the inhabitants, and a memorial to the Postmaster-General protesting against the site has been numerously signed. The memorialists urge that a great portion of the surrounding land is swampy and liable to be flooded and that, as all the improvements in the township are extending northward, the Post and Telegraph Office, if erected on the site selected, will be and must remain in an extreme corner of the town, a disadvantage which will not only detract from the usefulness of these necessary institutions, but will be a serious inconvenience to a majority of the inhabitants".

Narrandera.

The Telegraph Office opened at the Post Office on 27 July 1876 and the two offices merged on 1 September 1876. The Post Office had originally opened on 1 October 1861 with a change of name from Gillinbah. The second person to be appointed to the Narrandera P&T Office was the telegraph messenger on 27 November 1878.

An excellent history of Narrandera and the surrounding area is given elsewhere.

A rubber circular Telegraph Office date stamp (RC3 - TO) was provided for use with Telegrams.

Used: 26 November 1934 and 5 November 1935.

Diameter: 31 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 2.

 Varrandera
5 November 1935.		  

Tocumwal Railway Station.

Tocumwal is just on the border with Victoria.

A Telegraph Office operated at the Railway Station from 1 May 1937 to 31 August 1967.
Wagga Wagga.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 17 August 1869 as a P&T Office.

The Post Office had opened on 1 January 1849.

On 29 April 1887, notice was given in the Gazette of the resumption of a portion of land in the parish of South Wagga Wagga, town of Wagga Wagga, in connection with the erection of a Post and Telegraph office.

For a reference to the Telegraph Messenger in 1875, see elsewhere.

In July 1940, a new Telephone Exchange was opened in Wagga incorporating the most modern telegraphic equipment. From then, telegram messages could be automatically repeated from outlying centres, cities and towns direct to Sydney without having to be repeated by telegraphists.

A Telegraph Office was opened as Wagga Wagga Rail Telegraph Office on 20 May 1895. It closed on 31 August 1948.

 Wagga
Wagga 2
Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga Wagga about 1880.
Two formats of a TELEGRAPHS WAGGA WAGGA date stamp were used.
  1. Type 2A - no full stop after W.
    Smaller font and more rounded.

Used: 13 April 1922 to 18 August 1924.
Hopson & Tobin claim use from 1920.

Diameter: 28 mm.

Rated: RR.

Wagga 1922
13 April 1922.

Used on an internal memo.

Wagga 1923
18 August 1924.

Used on AB-DO-?.

  1. Type 2C - full stop after W.
    Has thinner and elongated letters.

Used: 16 Nov. 1927 - November 1944
(see AW-DO-10B (43)).

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rated: R.

 

 Wagga 1934
17 July 1934. 		 
The usual Wagga Wagga postal date stamp was also used on telegrams. This format changed over the years.

Diameter: 24 mm.

Used: 10 Oct. 1904 - 2 Aug. 1913(JJ)

Wagga 1904
10 October 1904.

Used on NI-DO-1.

Wentworth.

The Telegraph Office opened on 21 September 1890.

Changed name from Moorna in 1860.

Tenders were called for the construction of Postmaster's Quarters and a Post & Telegraph Office on 18 July 1898.

  
West Wyalong.

The Post & Telegraph Office was opened here on its opening on 22 June 1894.

Before 22 May 1882, the township of Barmedman had been called Wyalong and the town of West Wyalong was located about 5 km to the west.

A new Wyalong telegraph office was then opened on 11 June 1894 just before the name of this office changed to West Wyalong 11 days later.

Meanwhile an office to receive letters had been opened in April 1894 called Wyalong Township. So, on 22 June, this receiving office was upgraded to a Post and Telegraph office - called Wyalong.

 West Wyalong
West Wyalong in the late 1890s.