The Kimberley region of Western Australia begins between Port Hedland and Broome and extends through Derby to Wyndham, Kununarra and Argyle and down to Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. It has an area of 423,517 square kilometers (about three times the size of England or twice the size of Victoria).
Broome (Roebuck Bay).
The Telegraph Office - called then Cable House - opened as Roebuck Bay on 9 April 1889 to service the third Java-Australia cable. It handled the international telegraphic traffic (mainly from Western Australia with some inter-colonial messages as well) in addition to the inter-colonial Western Australia messages through the far north. The change of name to Broome was effected in 1892. NB: see also Tit Bit # 6. |
The Broome Cable Station as it is now - as the Court House.
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On Friday 29 October 1897, the Perth Daily News reported that " the new telegraph and cable station at Broome having been completed, and it will be opened for business on Monday". The major use of the Broome Electric Telegraph Station had been for the third Eastern Extension Company's cable from Java. Cable House - as the Telegraph Office was called - became redundant when the cable was closed in 1905 and the Telegraph Office was merged into the Post Office building. By 1914, Eastern Extension decided to sell Cable House. Advertisements were placed as follows (e.g. Sunday Times (Perth) 12 April 1914):
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Four types of date stamp were issued to Broome for use with telegraphs: |
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11 July 1902. |
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NOTE: the 1903 and 1904 date stamps omitted the 0 for the decade. | 20 January 1903. |
27 July 1904. |
15 May 1908. |
20 July 1911. |
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15 December 1913. |
31 January 1914. |
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The Post Office opened in Derby in June 1884. The combined Post & Telegraph Office opened on 3 April 1889. NB: see also Tit Bit # 6. |
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Note the train line in the front. |
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A rubber oval Post & Telegraph Office date stamp (RO2-P&TO) was issued to the Office:
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21 April 1975. |
A Post & Telegraph Office was opened on 1 September 1892. A Post Office had previously been opened in March 1891. |
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A rubber oval Post & Telegraph Office (RO7-P&TO) was issued to the Office:
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12 March 1898. |
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A Telegraph Office was opened on 9 April 1889. Located on the north-eastern end of 80 Mile Beach. |
No special date stamp was issued to the Office for use with telegrams. Early postal date stamps were inscribed LAGRANGE without the BAY. |
Daily News 12 March 1886: "We were officially apprised yesterday that Mr. Price, the new Government Resident at Cambridge Gulf, had selected Wyndham as the name of the new township in that district. Now the name of Wyndham was given to a township on the Kalgan River, not far from the head of Oyster Harbor, many years before Mr. Price was born. This reckless system of nomenclature is sure to give rise to much confusion in the future". In February 1893, H. W. Birch was promoted to be Post and Telegraph Master at Wyndham. On 25 May 1896, William Bannerman rushed into the Telegraph Office at Wyndham and shot the operator (Edward Geo. Worth). Bannerman received two years hard labour for manslaughter. |
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Two date stamps are recorded as having been issued to Wyndham for use with telegraphs:
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3 December ?? |
28 September 1899. |
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12 July 1946. |