The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned 3200 kilometres between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Completed in August 1872 (a line to Western Australia was added in 1877). The telegraph system allowed fast communication between Australia and the rest of the world. When it was linked to the Java-to-Darwin submarine telegraph cable soon after completion in 1873; the communication time with Europe dropped from months to hours; Australia was no longer so isolated from the rest of the world. The line was one of the great engineering feats of 19th-century Australia and probably the most significant milestone in the history of telegraphy and communication in Australia.
1873 Australian Overland Telegraph – Northern Territory
$295.00
1 in stock
Very interesting early illustration of the main contributors to building the Australian Telegraph line, with J. Little, R. Patterson, Charles Todd (head of the team) and A. Mitchell featured in the centre panel. Other vignettes show the Roper and Hodgson River, the camp at Roper River and the fleet of some of the boats that assisted, anchored at Darwin.
| Dimensions | 36 × 26 cm |
|---|---|
| Dimensions with Mount | 53 x 41cm |
| Publication | Illustrated London News |
| Published | London 1873 |
| Condition | Excellent condition with modern hand colouring |
