The Alice Springs Telegraph Station is located within the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, four kilometres north of the
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' A ...
town centre in the
Northern Territory of Australia
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
. Established in 1872 to relay messages between
Darwin
and
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, it is the original site of the first European settlement in central Australia. It was one of twelve stations along the
Overland Telegraph Line.
History
European exploration of central Australia began in 1860.
John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers.
Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...
successfully crossed the continent from north to south on his third attempt in 1863. He passed through the
MacDonnell Ranges
The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...
through Brinkley Bluff, although the terrain was considered to be too rough for the Overland Telegraph Line. The site of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station was first recorded by surveyor
William Mills in March 1871, who was in search of a suitable route for the line through the MacDonnell Ranges. While surveying, Mills came across a waterhole, which was a significant camping and ceremonial site for the
Arrernte people
The Arrernte () people, sometimes referred to as the Aranda, Arunta or Arrarnta, are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the Arrernte lands, at ''Mparntwe'' (Alice Springs) and surrounding areas of the Central Australia reg ...
, an Aboriginal group who still occupy
Arrernte lands around Alice Springs. Known as ''Turiara'', its creation story describes an old Arunga (euro) man walking along the river and scratching out the waterhole.
Mills named it ''Alice Springs'' after Alice Todd, the wife of his employer
Charles Todd, the head of the overland telegraph project at the time.
Construction of the telegraph station began adjacent to the waterhole in November 1871 under the supervision of
Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn
Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn CE, SM, (1841 – 18 October 1924) was an Australian surveyor born in Ireland noted for his work in the Northern Territory surveying the Overland Telegraph Line. His middle name is occasionally spelt "Rutherdale".
E ...
.
A number of structures were eventually built, including a harness room, buggy shed, police station, blacksmith's workshop, telegraph office, kitchen building and station master's residence. Supplies arrived from Adelaide just once per year, so self-sufficiency was critical. Stockyards and a large garden area were also developed. While the waterhole supplied the settlement with water, a well was later sunk to maintain supply during drought periods.
After completion, the telegraph station operated for 60 years.
Postmasters
Mueller, the first postmaster, became Warden of Goldfields. He was dismissed from the role on 25 July 1906. He was later found guilty of embezzling £42 at
Arltunga on May 4 1905 and sentenced to six months in
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...
Gaol. Mueller Street in East Side, Alice Springs is named after him.
Bradshaw (1859 – 28 August 1934), joined the Post and Telegraph Department in 1878. He worked as a telegraph operator in Adelaide before being appointed postmaster of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station on 1 April 1899.
Bradshaw sued the Commonwealth in 1925 for wrongful dismissal in the
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution.
The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. ...
. Bradshaw Primary School in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' A ...
is named after him.
The Bungalow
The station closed in 1932 following the construction of a new post office. It was then used as an institution for "
half-caste
Half-caste (an offensive term for the offspring of parents of different racial groups or cultures) is a term used for individuals of multiracial descent. It is derived from the term '' caste'', which comes from the Latin ''castus'', meaning p ...
" Aboriginal children known as
The Bungalow, which was moved there from
Jay Creek. An area of including the telegraph station was proclaimed an
Aboriginal reserve
An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...
by the Department of Native Affairs on 8 December 1932. Its purpose was to provide residence and education services to part-Aboriginal children ("half-castes").
The Freemans were the first Superintendent and Matron at the new location. It closed in 1942 when children were evacuated south in response to World War II.
The majority of the children from the institution were sent south to
Mulgoa
Mulgoa is a village, located in the local government area of the City of Penrith, in the region of western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mulgoa is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district.
Mulgo ...
in New South Wales and
Balaklava
Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Cri ...
in South Australia. The buildings were taken over by the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...
.
World War II
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
parts of the station were used by the Australian Army between 1942 and 1945.
It was used as the Native Labour Headquarters. It was returned to the
Native Affairs Department in 1945 after the war.
The station became an Aboriginal Reserve until 1963, when many Aboriginal people moved to
Amoonguna, an Aboriginal Community southeast of Alice Springs.
Current use
The station is on land proclaimed as a reserve on 5 June 1962 and now part of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve.
A number of stone buildings have now been restored. The historical reserve was listed on the now-defunct
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Herita ...
in 1980.
It was listed on the
Northern Territory Heritage Register on 19 April 2004.
It is now operated as a tourist attraction, cafe and mountain biking destination.
References
External links
Alice Springs Telegraph Station Official Website
{{coord, -23.672, 133.888, type:landmark_region:AU, display=title
Buildings and structures in Alice Springs
History of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory Heritage Register
1872 establishments in Australia
Northern Territory places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate
Tourist attractions in Alice Springs