Victoria.
Telegraph Offices on the Suburban Branch - north-east of Melbourne.

The Telegraph Offices discussed below are located on the Melbourne (north-east) line which had three branches:

  1. the Whittlesea branch - this branch was constructed from Collingwood;
  2. the Kangaroo Ground branch;
  3. the Lilydale branch - this branch was constructed from Hawthorn.

Balwyn North.

The Telegraph Office ..

  

Two rubber TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps were issued to the office:

  1. RO2-TO

Size: 29 × 47½ mm (e = 0.79).

Used: 11 October 1976 to 17 July 1984.

Rated: RR.

 Bal Nth 1983
17 January 1983.
  1. RC2-TO

Size: 37 mm diameter.

Used: 2 August 1988 (only recorded date).

Rated: RRRR.

 Bal Nth 1988
2 August 1988
(only recorded date).
Bayswater.

The Post Office changed name from Macauley on 17 December 1889.

  
The office was issued with a very large rectangular TELEGRAPH SECTION date stamp (RRH1-TS) which was used in two colours:
  1. in magenta ink.

Used: 6 July 1977 - 30 September 1981.

Size: 37 × 63.5 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 2.

 Bays 1981
30 September 1981

6 July 1977 (earliest recorded date).
Strike on oedinary rate delivery form AT-DO-15A
  1. in violet ink.

Used: 12 August 1988 (only recorded date).

Size: 37½ × 67 mm.

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.


12 August 1988.

Boronia.

The Post Office at Boronia opened as a Receiving Office on 1 October 1920 and was reclassified as a Post Office on 15 May 1922.

The office was issued with a rubber rectangular - date stamp (RRH1-T):

Used: 26 January 1977 to September 1981.

Size: 21½ × 29 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number i the Census: 1.
September 1981.

Box Hill.
(Lilydale Branch).

The Telegraph Office opened in December 1882.

  

Bundoora.

Located about 7 km NE of Preston.

  

Two formats of date stamps were used for the TELEGRAPH OFFICE at Bundoora:

  1. a circular date stamp with no side arcs - used in red.

Size: 39 mm diameter.

Used: 17 March 1982.

Rated: RRR.

  
  1. a circular date stamp with no side arcs.

Size: 38 mm diameter.

Used: 8 August 1988.

Rated: RRR.

 Bundoora
Clifton Hill.

The Clifton Hill Post Office opened in December 1883.

The Telegraph Office was issued with a Belt & Buckle date stamp which was used in black. Previously, the only recorded date had been 23 February 1894 but now it is known it was used in black from 21 February 1893 to 23 February 1894.

The Office was also issued with a double circle TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RC2 - TO).

 

 Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill B&B cover Clifton Hill 1 hole Belt & Buckle date stamp in black.
On complete cover VC-EO-9A with the remnants
of the seal on the reverse side still attached.
11 March 1893.

Size: 28 × 38 mm (e = 0.68).
Previously unrecorded complete.

Rated: RRRR.
Clifton Hill 1893

Clifton Hill 1 hole Belt & Buckle date stamp in black.
21 February 1893.

Earliest recorded date.

Rated: RRRR.

  

Clifton Hill Telegraph Office.

(RC2- TO).

Used in violet from 30 June 1978 to 17 March 1980.

Rated: RRRR.

 
Coldstream.
(Lilydale Branch).

Coldstream is about 4 km NE of Lilydale and the general area around was formerly referred to as The Lodge.

The Post Office opened on 7 February 1889 - soon after the railway arrived in 1888.

The office was issued with T.O. steel date stamps as follows:

  1. T.O. Coldstream/Vic.
    Date stamp correct.

Used 1915 to 1917.

Diameter 27.5 mm.

Previously unrecorded.

March 1915
13 March 1915 - only recorded date.

Mossgreen November 2016 Lot 894.
Detail of the above date stamp. 1915 detail
  1. T. O. Coldstream/Vic.
    Decade wheel inverted.

Diameter: 27.5 mm.

Used: 18 December 1917 to
14 November 1922.

Rated: RR.

Coldstream 1920
8 October 1920. 		Coldstream invert
21 June 1922.
Detail of the Melba-Hughes cover below.
Melba
21 June 1922.
2d King George V sideface cancelled with a T.O. Coldstream date stamp with decade wheel reversed (see above).

Cover sent by Dame Nellie Melba to Prime Minister Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes.

Phoenix Auctions April 2015, Lot 1428.

 In 1909, Dame Nellie Melba bought Coombe Cottage at Coldstream.

Apparently she was good friends over a long period with Billy Hughes - Prime Minister of Australia.

 
Melba reverse
Reverse side of the cover with Dame Nellie's hand stamp of her residence.
  1. T. O. Coldstream/Vic.
    The decade wheel has been corrected.
    5 mm side arcs.

Used: 28 September 1923 to 16 August 1939;

Diameter: 27 mm.

Rated: RR.

 Cold 1926
15 October 1926.		 Coldstream 1926
25 November 1926.
  1. T.O. Coldstream/Vic Aust.
    1.5 mm side arcs.

Used: 14 October 1940 to 17 April 1954 .

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rated: R.

 Coldstream 1944
11 May 1944.
 Scout
8 February 1949.
  1. T.O. removed - Coldstream/VIC AUST.
    Long date line.
    There appears to have been two date stamps with the T.O. removed - one removal being not as well done.

Used: 1 January 1957 to 20 December 1968.

 

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rated: R.

 

 Coldstream removed
Coldstream - T.O. partly removed.
30 April 1967.
 Coldstream removed 2
Coldstream - T.O. fully removed.
30 April 1967 to January 1968.
Coldstream TO rem detail
26 July 1966.
T.O. removed.
Detail of date stamp from cover at right.		 Coldstream cover
  1. T.O. removed - Coldstream/VIC AUST.
    Short date line.
    Nylon date wheels.

Used in black: 23 June 1969 to 13 May 1987.
Used in violet: 5 July 1984.

Size: 30 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 1.

 Coldstream 1987
13 May 1987.
Used on cover with several date
stamps confirming 13 May.

Collingwood.

The Telegraph Office opened in November 1865.

Both the Whittlesea Branch and the Kangaroo Ground branches of the Melbourne NE line were constructed from Collingwood.

The Office was issued with a 1 hole Belt and Buckle date stamp.

Used in black: 11 June 1880 (2nd earliest strike for a Belt & Buckle) to 25 February 1899.

Size: 27 × 38 mm (the only example seen complete).

Rated: RRR.

 Colling
25 February 1899.
(latest recorded date).

Two complete strikes (the only complete strikes recorded) for Collingwood.
2 September 1897.

On and about 23 April 1941, the staff at the Collingwood Telegraph Office used a rubber oval date stamp (RO6-PO) with POST OFFICE to mark incoming telegrams and their envelopes for delivery. During that time, the oval date stamp broke apart and so the inventive staff used twine to repair the date stamp - at least to solve their immediate problems.

No other example of the use of this unusual repair is recorded. It was used both on the delivery form (AB-EO-8H) and on the delivery envelope (AB-EO-8C).

 Collingwood PO
23 April 1941.

Doncaster.

 

  

The office was issued with a rubber TELEGRAPH date stamp
(RRH1 - T).

Size: 29 × 48 mm.

Used: 15 February 1985 to 24 January 1986.

Rated: RRR.

 Doncaster
24 January 1986.

A circular date stamp (RC2 - diameter 35 mm) was also used with telegrams on 12 January 1987. It has only the DONCASTER inscription.

Rated: RRRR.

  
Eltham.
(Kangaroo Ground Branch).

The Telegraph Office opened on 1 June 1877.

Eltham
The Post Office at Eltham and its surrounds.

The postcard sent to England (indecipherable date) reads"
"Does this look very primitive? Eltham in Vic. is a dear little old world place".

The Telegraph Office was issued with a rubber circular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RO2-TO) used in violet.

Size: 32 mm diameter.

Used: 21 December 1978 (only recorded date).

Size: 32 mm diameter.

Rated: RRRR
(unlisted in WWW).

Eltham
21 December 1978.

Used on AT-DO-14A
Ferntree Gully.

The Telegraph Office opened on

 

A rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH SECTION date stamp (RRH1-TS) was used at the office in violet.

Size: 25 × 50½ mm.

Used: 22 July 1985 to 16 September 1988.

Rated: RR.

Number in the Census: 3.

Ferntree
19 February 1988.
Used on AT-DO-15Ca.

Glen Waverley.

The Post Office at Glen Waverley replaced that at Glen Waverley North on 4 December 1963.

Prior to that, a Glen Waverley Post Office had replaced Black Flat Post Office on 10 January 1921 until it was renamed Glen Waverley South on 4 December 1963.

The Office was issued with two rubber oval TELEGRAPH date stamps: (RO6-T).

  1. Used: 6 January 1973.

Size: 33 × 54 (e = 0.79).

Rated: RRRR.

Number recorded: 1.

 Glen Waverley
6 January 1973.
Image by courtesy of Brian Sampson.
  1. Used: 1 June 1990.
    Has Telephone number above the date.
    At least from 1990, TELEGRAPH is mostly removed.

Size: 29½ × 50 (e = 0.81).

Rated: RRRR.

Number recorded: 1 (see WWW p. G-29).

  
Greensborough.

The Telegraph Office

The Office was first issued with a rubber ovalr TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RO2-TO) for use on telegrams.

Used: 8 April 1974.

Size: 32 × 51 mm (e = 0.78).

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 1.
8 April 1974.
An archival strike.

The Office was later issued with a rubber rectangular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RRH1-TO) for use on telegrams.

Used: 24 February 1982.

Size: 31.5 × 42 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 2 (same date).
24 February 1982.
On an envelope.
Hawthorn.
(Lilydale Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened in July 1872.

A new Post and Telegraph Office was opened about 19 May 1909 although the telephone exchange was not transferred.

In addition to the Belt & Buckle date stamp:

  • an oval Telegraph Office (RO6 - TO) was used in violet from 10 June 1966 to 3 July 1968;
  • a circular Telegraph Office date stamp was used in violet about 1984.
The Telegraph Office was issued with at least three types of date stamp for use with telegrams:
  1. a 2 hole Belt & Buckle date stamp.

Used in black: 21 June 1890 and 1894.

Size: ??

Rated: RRR.
21 June 1890 (or Aug).
Earliest recorded date.		 Hawthorn B&B
21 December ??.
  1. A rubber oval TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RO6-TO).
Used in violet: 10 June 1966 to 3 July 1968.

Size: 30 × 50 mm (e = 0.80).

Rated: Scarce.

 Hawthorn 1966
10 June 1966.
  1. A circular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp (RC1-TO).

Used in violet: 27 January 1984.

Diameter: 31.5 mm.

Rated: Scarce.

 Hawthorn TO
27 January 1984.

 

 

Used in blue: 26 February 1987.

Diameter: 31.5 mm.

Rated: R.

 Hawthorn blue
26 February 1987.		  

Heidelberg.
(Kangaroo Ground Branch).

A Post Office opened at Heidelberg on 19 October 1853 as Warringal and was renamed Heidelberg in 1865. The area was proclaimed as the Shire of Heidelberg in 1871.

The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876.

Ivanhoe.
(Kangaroo Ground Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened from Monday 28 August 1876. It was closed in 1880 (according to the 1880 Report by the Superintendent).

It appears to have been merged with the Post Office in 1889.

 

 
A rectangular rubber TELEGRAPH date stamp
(RRH1-T) was issued for use on telegrams.

Used: 24 March 1951 to 13 January 1960.

Size: 27 × 41 mm.

Rated: RRR.

 March 1951
24 March 1951.

Used on AW-DO-10Ab (49).

 Jan 1960
13 January 1960.

Used on AA-DO-13B.
Kangaroo Ground.
(Kangaroo Ground Branch).

 

  

Launching Place.

The Post Office at Launching Place was opened on 12 July 1865 when Warburton PO was renamed.

On 13 September 1869, it was renamed Hoddle's Creek PO.

Another Post Office was opened at Launching Place on 1 September 1880 and it was closed on 28 July 1994.
Launching Place PO about 1900.
No special date stamp for use with Telegraphs was issued to the Office. Instead the usual postal post park was used on telegrams.


29 March 1955.
Diameter: 30 mm.

Used on AW-DO-10E (Aug 1952).
Lilydale.
(Lilydale Branch).

The Telegraph Office in Lilydale was opened in July 1876.

Mr. H. Perrin was the first postmaster at Lilydale from 1861 and held that position for 27 years. His son succeeded him for many years until the Government erected a Post & Telegraph Office at Lilydale and appointed an official staff member to the position (see Lilydale history elsewhere).

Mr Perrin (the 1st) took part in an acoustic experiment communicating with Kew in 1878.

Telegraph facilities were also made available to the public at the Railway Station from 23 December 1882 - the Railway from Hawthorn having been opened on 1 December 1882.

Lilydale
Lilydale Post & Telegraph Office about 1910.


The new Lilydale Post & Telegraph Office about 1930.

Two rubber vertical rectangular TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps, in slightly different formats, were used at Lilydale.

  1. RRV1-TO in violet with broken verticals.

Size: 31 × 32 mm.

Used: 21 October 1968.

Rated: RR.

Lilydale 1968
21 October 1968.

Used on AA-DO-13D.
  1. RRV1-TO in violet with broken verticals.

Size: 36 × 33 mm.

Used: 7 December 1972.

Rated: RR.

 

Lilydale 1972
7 December 1972.

Used on AA-EO-18E.

Mooroolbark.
(Lilydale Branch).

The Telegraph

The railway line to Lilydale - and hence almost certainly the telegraph line - was washed away at Mooroolbark in the July 1891 floods.
The Office was issued with a rubber oval TELEGRAPH SECTION (RO2 - TS) in the 1970s.

Size: 32½ × 49 mm (e = 0.75).

Used: 30 November 1979 in red.

Rated: RRR.

Number recorded: 2.

 Mooroolbark
30 November 1979.
Morang.
(Whittlesea Branch).

The Morang Telegraph Office was opened in January 1880.

In February 1884, the Shire Council wrote to the Postmaster-General requesting that the Morang telegraph office be available at hours the same as other offices throughout the colony.

  
Northcote.
(Whittlesea Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876.

  
The Telegraph office was issued with three types of date stamp for use with telegraphic work:
  1. a one-hole Belt & Buckle date stamp.

Used in black: 8 August 1889 to
6 September 1893.

Size: 27 × 38 mm (e = 0.70).

Rated: RRR.

 Northcote B&B
8 August 1889.
(earliest recorded date). 		North 1893
19 July (?) 1893.

Right: the full cover (and the detail above).

Northcote 1 hole Belt & Buckle in black.
Double strike of 26 March 1890 (previously described as no complete strike had been recorded).

 Northcote cover
26 March 1890.
Detail of the Northcote Belt & Buckle date stamp of
26 March 1890 on the cover above.		 Detain of 1890 BB
  1. a double oval rubber Telegraph Office date stamp
    (RO2-TO).

Used: 22 April 1949.

Size: 32 × 50 mm (e = 0.77).

Rated: RRR.

 Northcote
22 April 1949.
  1. a single circle rubber TELEGRAPH date stamp (RC1-T).

Used: 2 May 1984.

Diameter: 31 mm.

Rated: RRR.

 Northcote RC1
2 May 1984.
Used on AT-DO-15B.
The usual Post Office date stamps were also used on telegrams.

Northcote duplex
Northcote 65 duplex.
24 April 1896.

Has dots for separators.

Used on VC-DO-.

Northcote 1898
Northcote C unframed date stamp.
20 June 1898.

Has dashes for separation markers.

Used on VC-DO-16B.

Pheasant Creek.
(Whittlesea Branch).

 

  


Pheasant Creek Post and Telegraph Office in 1934.
The sign for the Telegraph Office os the lower sign next to the door.
Preston.
(Whittlesea Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1876.

The Office was issued with a circular Post & Telegraph rubber date stamp (RC2-P&TO) with a scarce design and size.

Used in violet: 4 March 1935.

Diameter: 37 mm.

Rated: RRRR.

Number recorded: 1.

Preston P&T
4 March 1935.
Only recorded example.
The usual Post Office date stamps were also used on telegrams.

Preston 38
Preston postal date stamp.
20 October 1938.

Letters occupy more of the circumference.

Preston
Preston postal date stamp.
17 October 1953.

Used on AW-DO-13A.
 In May 1887, a deputation informed the Postmaster-General of the

"inconveniences and losses to which residents were at present subjected in consequence of the defective arrangements under which the services are now carried out ... (for example) a telegram of a certain date was lodged in Melbourne for transmission to a gentleman living within half-a-mile of the telegraph office at Preston by Robert Harper, Esq., M.L.A. at 5.30 p.m.; it promptly reached the Preston office at 7.40 p.m.; and was, with marvellous alacrity, delivered to its proper address, within half-a-mile of the receiving office, between 10 a.m. and 10.30 p.m. Now the Preston telegraph office is between six and seven miles from the Central Post Office, Melbourne and the message in question took more time to reach its destination than a cablegram requires to come from the London office to the office in Melbourne".

Ringwood.
(Lilydale Branch).

It has not yet been determined when the Ringwood Telegraph Office opened. In 1890, the Post Office did not handle telegrams but the Telegraph Office at the Railway Station transmitted 1,385 messages and received 1,172. Neither were open in 1894.

 

 

The Telegraph Office was issued with one format of a rubber oval TELEGRAPH date stamp (RO6-T) which was used in violet.

Size: 30 × 60 mm (e = 0.87).

Used: 12 September 1980.

Rated: RRR.

 

Ringwood 1980
12 September 1980.

Used on AT-DO-15A.
Rosanna.

The Telegraph Office

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

Size:

Use: 7 November 1988.

Rated: RRR.

 Rosanna
7 November 1988.

Used on AT-DO-15B.

Warburton.

A Post Office was opened at Warburton on 1 October 1863.

On 12 July 1865, Warburton was renamed Launching Place.

On 1 November 1874, a Post Office at Hoddle's Creek was then renamed Warburton PO but it was then renamed back to Hoddle's Creek on 1 January 1879.

A Post Office was then established at Warburton in about 1884.

  
Warbuton had no telegraphic traffic reported in the 1889 Annual Report for the Department.  

Whittlesea.
(Whittlesea Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened in June 1879.

  

Yan Yean.
(Whittlesea Branch).

The Telegraph Office was opened in August 1879.