Bothwell.

The telegraph wires were extended to Bothwell in January 1870 while a Telegraph Office opened in 1871 at the Post Office with Sarah Robinson as the Operator. The Post Office had opened in 1832.

Bothwell is the home of Ratho - the oldest golf course in Australia. It was built in the 1850s - before the telegraph was connected! It is also now the home for Nant distilleries.

The earliest recorded telegram to Bothwell is 31 August 1871 from Green Ponds.

The type 2C steel date stamp:

Used on a telegram: 22 January 1948 - 4 March 1953.

Diameter: 29 mm.

Rated: R.

Number in the Census used on a telegram: 3.

During a visit to New York in 1854, John Young wrote to his friend and neighbour at Bothwell as follows:

"In the business portion of the town (New York) the streets are all very narrow, the houses immensely high, and the earth burrowed out and vaulted not only under houses but under the streets. While overhead, telegraph-wires are running and crossing each other through the air, whispering what was the price of stocks at New Orleans and at Halifax five minutes ago - carrying the congress bunkum-debates of this forenoon at Washington to the newspaper offices, where the fellows are setting-up the Speech in type before the orator has finished 300 miles off. This is not like Bothwell. New York is a nervous and highly feverish patient, hysterical, irritable, with a determination of blood to the head & a decided tendency to delirium tremens. Bothwell is a quiet and healthy shepherd whose food is mutton and his drink Clyde water (not unmingled with moderate brandy), lying on a sunny hill under a honeysuckle, listening to the sheep-bells".

Telegraph Office located at the Post Office (by 1871) with Robert Dyer as Operator. Brighton was, for a short time, discussed by Lachlan Macquarie as being the place for the capital of the penal colony.

The earliest recorded telegram to Brighton is 19 June 1871 from Green Ponds (Cable form).

Date used on telegrams: 26 August 1880 to 4

Diameter: 22 mm.

Rated: RR.

Number in Census on telegram: 15+

The Telegraph Office was opened in 1861.

In February 1861, the Launceston Examiner reported that "a young lady is now joining through a course of instruction for the purpose of taking charge of the Telegraph office at Campbell Town. We hear that this young lady is likely to become one of the smartest operators on the line". The Operator was Miss Palliser.

The Electric Telegraph Office was housed separately from the Post Office at least until 1872.

Alfred Biggs was the school teacher in Campbell Town. In 1874, he made a telephone call from the railway line to the telegraph station - which is acknowledged as being the first telephone call in the southern hemisphere. He crafted the telephones from huon pine and linked them through the telegraph line.

The Telegraph Office opened in. The Post Office had been opened on June 1835. The town was founded as Honeysuckle Banks by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1811.

Evandale was also one of the stations on the Launceston & Western Railway line. Its telegraph office at the station was opened in 1871. It was a "break of guage" station until the remainder of the line to Deloraine was converted to a narrow guage in 1888.

Some notable residents of Evandale have included:

• John Batman who lived there before moving, in 1835, to establish Melbourne;
• John Kelly - father of Ned Kelly - who served time in the local prison.

In 1871, had offices at Low Head (2 staff) and Nine Mile Springs (operator A.T. Morrison).

A telegraph office was opened to the public in 1873.

Green Ponds.

The telegraph wires were extended to Green Ponds in January 1870. The Telegraph Office may have been opened later in the year at a location separate from the Post Office.

The earliest recorded telegram from Green Ponds is 18 May 1871 to Launceston. There is however a hand written summary on the reverse of a Cable transmission form showing 3 messages had been sent during the week ending 13 August 1870 and 4 messages in the following week.

Green Ponds was used as a telegraph station for surrounding towns which did not have telegraph facilities at the time. An example of a message written on an envelope as a transmission form and sent from Bothwell to Green Ponds in 1875 for onward transmission is shown elsewhere.

In September 1881, discussions were held to merge the Post and Telegraph Offices into a new office within the context of merging all the public offices (Municipal, Police, Library, lecture theatre, etc) into the same premises.

The town was renamed Kempton in 1838 although the Post Office did not change its name to Kempton until 18 March 1895.

No date stamp was issued to Green Ponds for use with telegraphs.

Postal date stamps were used.

3 October 1874.
Earliest date stamp used on a Tasmanian telegam form.

Used on TC-DO-3A.

Originally called Port Dalrymple.

The first telegraph office in Launceston was in George Street opposite Patterson Street. The Officer-in-Charge was Mr. G. B. Butcher - the brother of the then newly appointed Superintendent of Telegraphs Mr. W. H. Butcher.

In 1881, the office was moved "to more commodious quarters".

1. Serif font.

RO6 - TO in blue.
(earliest recorded date).

Separation marks: rosette stops.

Size: 31 × 50 mm (e = 0.78).

2. Sans-serif font.

RO6 - TO in blue.

Separation marks: open rosette stops.

Size: 28 × 41 mm (e = 0.73).

 

Used on TC-DO-4A.
Provenance: Clemente, Johnstone.

Used on TC-DO-4B.

Prestige Aug 2005 Lot 411.

1. Separation with dot stops (Clemente Type 6):
   

Two line date. Two digit year.

Dots for separation are towards the base of the letters.

No code letter under Launceston.

Diameter: 23 mm.

26 March 1908.

Used on TI-MO-3.

2. Separation with circle stops (Clemente Type 7):

Two line date. Two digit year.

Has circle stops for separation.

No code letter under LAUNCESTON.

Diameter: 24 mm.

Used from 28 January 1899 (TC-DO-5A) to 10 March 1904.

28 January 1899.

Used on TC-DO-5A.

10 March 1904.

Used on TI-RO-2.

3. Separation with cross stops (Clemente Type 8):

Two line date. Two digit year.

Has cross stops for separation.

No code letter under LAUNCESTON.

Diameter: 25 mm.

4. Separation with no dot stops (Clemente Type 9):

Two line date. Two digit year.

Has no stops for separation.

No code letter under LAUNCESTON.

Diameter: 23 mm.

Clemente had reported that this date stamp had never been seen on a telegram form.

25 May 1904.

Used on TC-DO-5A.

11 December 1905.
(unusually with year in italics).

Used on TI-DO-6.

12 May 1919.
Used in blue.

On AE-DO-1.

RC6 Launceston.

Has large stars at the bottom of the letters between the top and bottom words.

Type 2a (1v) rubber date stamp.

Diameter: 37 mm.

Rated RRR.

Used in blue.

On AE-DO-1Ea.

Launceston (RRH-1).
Used on Telegrams.

Size: 26 × 58 mm.

Has a consecutive counter number to the right of the date.

Used on TC-DO-4B.

10 January 1938.
C of A watermark.

Mossgreen, March 2015 Lot 2074.

LAUNCESTON at base.
Used on AW-DO-10 (45).

Rubber circular date stamps.

Diameter: 31 mm.

Archival strikes of a datestamp not recorded used on a telegram. Al have the same date stamp date of 3 May 1989 which is beyond the date of availability of telegrams.

The first format has two stars while the second has one star and a Crown.

Launceston TELEGRAPH.
3 May 1989.

The Electric Telegraph office was opened separate from the Post Office. The first Operator was W. Mason jnr.

The Electric Telegraph Office was established in 1871 separately from the Post Office. The Operator was J. Ryan Jnr.

The Post Office main routecConnected to Tunbridge, Anthill Ponds, Jericho, Spring Hill and Tunnack.

No separating marks between
top and bottom.

Used on TC-DO-5A.

Ross.

The Telegraph Office was established by 1865. It was separate from the (Money Order) Post Office. The Operator was Miss Hall.

Unfortunately the North West Post of 1 August 1905 announced that "Salary for the three months during the period of her suspension from duty is allowed to Miss Elizabeth Hall late Postmistress at Ross whose resignation from the Public Service was enforced".