| The telegraph and the submarine
cable were inventions that changed the world. Contact could be made with
friends and relatives within hours or a couple of days; previously it would
have taken months for any communique to arrive. The construction of what
was to become a vast communications network was not an easy one. Not only
the building and supply of materials to the required location but the danger
of crocodiles, snakes, spiders and even the local indigene throwing spears
at the workmen, all were a constant source of concern.
Normanton was the first town
on the Gulf to be connected with the rest of Australia by the Queensland
Electric Telegraph, and Karumba just missed becoming Australia's gateway
to international tele-communication.
The following are a series
of facts and figures of general interest:
The telegraph was first used
in NSW on December 5th, 1851.
Melbourne to Williamstown
March 3rd 1854
Adelaide to Port Adelaide
February 18th 1856
Melbourne to Adelaide July
19th 1856
Tasmania August 2nd 1857
Sydney to Liverpool, NSW
December 30th 1857
Sydney to Melbourne October
29th 1858
Adelaide
Brisbane to Rockhampton April
6th 1864
to Townsville March 15th
1869
Tasmania to Victoria April
27th 1869
Perth to Freemantle June
21st 1869
N. Territory to South Australia
September 15th 1870
Normanton to Brisbane January
3rd 1872
Number of miles of telegraph
lines opened by December 31st 1877:
New South Wales 6,000
New Zealand 3,307
Queensland 5,033
South Australia 4,061
Tasmania 621
Victoria 2,885
Western Australia 1,567
Total 23,474
The Submarine Cable
The route and length of cable
and land lines are as follows from London to Adelaide:
London to Land's End Overland
320
Land's End to Gibraltar via
Lisbon Cable 1,250
Gibraltar to Malta Cable
981
Malta to Alexandria Cable
819
Alexandria to Suez Overland
224
Suez to Aden Cable 1,308
Aden to Bombay Cable 1,664
Bombay to Madras Overland
600
Madras to Penang Cable 1,213
Penang to Singapore Cable
381
Singapore to Batavia Cable
560
Batavia to Banjoewangie Overland
480
Banjoewangie to Port Darwin
Cable 970
Port Darwin to Port Augusta
Overland 1,800
Port Augusta to Adelaide
Overland 196
Total length of Cable 9,146
Total length of Overland
3,424
Total 12,570
In today's world with voice,
visual images, documents and megabytes of information bouncing off satellites
to all parts of the globe, it is easy to forget the hardships and distances
covered in what at the time was a very large and even dangerous world.
Due to the endeavours of many courageous and dedicated people, we are able
to communicate in the way that we now do.
|
