Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs

Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs

Telecommunications from the 1870's !

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was the site of the first European settlement in central Australia. It was built to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide along the Overland Telegraph Line, which was more than 3000km long and connected Australia to the rest of the world. News which formerly took weeks or months to reach Australia took hours after construction of the telegraph line. Initially the line was a single wire, strung over 36,000 poles. Construction took two years, and was directed by Charles Todd, Director of the Observatory and Superintendent of Telegraphs in South Australia. The location of this photograph was named for his wife, Mrs Alice Todd.

Construction of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station began in 1871. It operated for 60 years, and then served as a school for Aboriginal children. It is now an historical reserve.