The Overland Telegraph – Open for Business

Monday 17 October 2022

The Overland Telegraph – Open for Business

Presented by Richard Venus

150 years ago, this week (21 October 1872), communication in Australia changed forever – after two years of challenges, struggles, setbacks and disappointments, Australia’s greatest infrastructure project was open for business. 

In these days of instant communication, its hard to imagine the transformational impact of the Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) which this year celebrates its sesquicentenary.  Messages with “Home” (England) could be not just sent but exchanged in hours rather than months.

Richard will describe the background to the OTL, and the challenges faced in its construction.

Richard is a retired electrical engineer with an interest in researching and writing about South Australia’s  engineering heritage and history.  He has been instrumental in the national heritage recognition of both the Overland Telegraph Line and the East-West Telegraph and has followed the story of the OTL and its principal architect, Sir Charles Todd, through the Outback and as far afield as the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

 

 

Record of Meeting

View the record of all past meetings which details all talks given at meetings by guest speakers since our foundation in 1980. Most meetings since 1985 have been recorded.

No.*BTddocDateTopic, Speaker, Detail
46317/10/2022

The Overland Telegraph – Open for Business

Presented by Richard Venus

150 years ago, this week (21 October 1872), communication in Australia changed forever – after two years of challenges, struggles,…

Legend

B: Burnside topic

T: tape

d: disc

doc: pdf document

*: on location

Disc and Tape recordings available in the Local History Room