l-keydates

On This Day Below are monthly lists of significant dates in the Overland Telegraph story. Most of the dates are in the period from 1870 when the British Australian Telegraph Company was formed in London and when the South Australian Government made a commitment to build the Overland Telegraph Line, to 1872, when the Line was finally completed. All dates are referenced to their source. NOTE: New months will be added at the start of each month in 2022. Click an image to download a copy (PDF format):

Calendar Order

Chronological Order

Timelines

Below are two lists of 150+ significant dates in the Overland Telegraph story in both calendar and chronological order. Most of the dates are in the period from 1870, when the British Australian Telegraph Company was formed in London and when the South Australian Government made a commitment to build the Overland Telegraph Line. The list ends in 1872, when the Line was finally completed. NOTE: These lists are subject to update. Click an image to download a copy (MS Word format):

7 November 1871 The cable ship Hibernia is anchored in Port Darwin’s harbour. A team of 100 men assisted by two draught horses drag it ashore. The Hibernia then sets sail for Java, paying out the cable. On 20 November, the undersea cable is connected at Bangowangie and the tiny settlement of Palmerston is now in direct telegraphic contact with Great Britain. 150 years later, a print of this photograph is unveiled on Darwin’s foreshore to commemorate the Sesquicentenary of the Overland Telegraph Line.