TOs - Mornington Peninsula

Victoria: 1854-1900.
Telegraph Offices on the Mornington Peninsula.

Home, index, site details
Australia 1901-1988
New South Wales
Queensland
- Overview of Qld
  - General developments
  - Reports
- Telegraph lines
- Telegraph offices
  - Listing of TOs
  - GPO & CTO
- Date stamps
- Forms
- Envelopes
  - Ordinary rate
  - Urgent rate
- Rates
- Stamps
South Australia
- Overview of SA
  - General Developments
  - Reports
- Telegraph lines
- Telegraph Offices
- Date stamps
  - Overview
  - Central Office date stamps
- Forms
  - Colonial period
  - Interim period - all
- Envelopes
- Rates
- Stamps
Tasmania
- Overview of Tasmania
  - General developments
  - Reports
- Organisation
- Telegraph lines
  - Overview of lines
  - Cable to Vic
- Telegraph Offices
  - Listing of TOs
  - GPO & CTO
- Date stamps
- Railway lines
- Forms
  - Colonial forms - all
  - Interim forms - all
- Envelopes
- Rates
- Stamps
Victoria
- Overview of Vic.
  - General developments
  - Reports
- Telegraph lines
- Telegraph offices
  - Listing of TOs
  - GPO & CTO
- Date stamps
- Forms
- Envelopes
  - Colonial period
  - Interim period
- Rates
- Stamps
  - Telegraph stamps
  - Postage stamps
- Ephemera
  - Frank stamps
Western Australia
- Overview of WA
  - General Developments
  - Reports
- Telegraph lines
- Telegraph Offices
  - Listing of TOs
  - GPO & CTO
- Date stamps
- Forms
  - Colonial period - all
  - Interim period - all
- Envelopes
- Rates
- Stamps
  - Telegraph stamps
  - Postage stamps
International
Special aspects

Although part of the Melbourne suburban network, Telegraph Offices on the Mornington Peninsula can be treated separately as they had special lines connecting them.

Although Frankston is often taken as the start of the Mornington Peninsula, the offices included here start a little further to the north at Mordiallac at the same latitude as Dandenong which is the start of the Gippsland line.

Separate lines were constructed to Cape Schank and Flinders - probably to avoid difficulties which may arise in the case of a maritime difficulty and to reduce the traffic between these stations and the Melbourne Central Office.

Cape Schank.

The Telegraph Office opened in September 1861.

In March 1879, it was upgraded to a Post Office but still with telegraph functions.

The usual postal date stamp was used for Telegrams:

22 September 1937.

Dromana.

The Telegraph Office opened in April 1875.

Dromana Post & Telegraph Office in March 1926.
The sign on the right confirms the two Offices.

Flinders.

The Telegraph Office opened in May 1869 to serve as the Victorian end of the 2nd Tasmania-Victorian submarine cable. It did accept telegrams for transmission to Victorian or other Colonial addresses and these were described as "local collections only". By 1877, these transmissions amounted to about 5 per week.

Flinders Cable Station.

An unframed circular steel TELEGRAPH OFFICE/ FLINDERS date stamp was issued to the Office:

Used: 8 January 1918 and
3 January 1921.

Size: 22 mm.

Rated: RRRRR.

Number in the Census: 2.

8 January 1918.

Used on VI-RO-3B.

3 January 1921.

Frankston.

The Telegraph Office opened in October 1880.

The Office was issued with a rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RRH1-TO).

Used in violet: 4 February 1987
(only recorded date).

Size: 38 × 50 mm.

Rated: RR.

4 February 1987.

Used in black: 12 May 1995 (only recorded date).

12 May 1995.
The date indicates this is probably
an archival date stamp.

Mordialloc. The Telegraph Office opened in August 1876.
Mordialloc Post & Telegraph Office about 1930.
The Office was issued with two formats of rubber rectangular date stamps - one with TELEGRAPH OFFICE and the other with TELEGRAPH: TELEGRAPH OFFICE (RRH1 - TO) with Office and postcode. Used: 12 May 1983. Size: 33 × 49 mm. Rated: RRR.	12 May 1983.
TELEGRAPH (RRH1-T) with Office, postcode and telephone number. Used in violet: mid 1980s shortly before the use of telegrams ceased in 1988. Size: 30 × 39 mm. Rated: RRR.	5 May 1986.

Mornington (Snapper Point).

The Telegraph Office opened in March 1861. Mornington was originally named Schnapper Point but was renamed in 1864. It was part of the Southern Coast line until 1870.

The Post Office had opened on 21 May 1856.

Portsea.

The Telegraph Office opened in January 1877. By 1897, there was also a savings bank and a money-order office.

Quarantine Station.

The Telegraph Office opened in early (probably February) 1874 at the second location of Point Nepean. It was classified as a Post Office from about 1916 to 1 July 1922.

In 1849, Governor LaTrobe has authorised the establishment of a hospital camp or Quarantine Station at Red Bluff (now Point Ormond). In 1852, with the arrival of the S.S. Ticonderoga carrying 300 people infected with fever. Plans to establish the Point Nepean site were accelerated.

Before the construction of the telegraph line to the station, messages had to be taken by boat to Queenscliff and then relayed to Melbourne.

For full details of the Quarantine station, see The Nepean Historical Society webpage.

A TEL. OFFICE/QUARANTINE STN. date stamp was issued to the Telegraph Station:

Used: 14 January 1908 to 13 May 1919
during the Telegraph Office period.

Diameter: 25 mm.

Rated: RRR.

14 January 1908.

24 January 1910.

13 May 1919.
Used during the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Sorrento.

The Telegraph Office opened in February 1874. By 1897, there were also a Post and Money Order office and a Savings Bank.

Sorrento Post & Telegraph Office about 1930 (confirmed in the middle window).