Australia is such a large country-continent that any technology that helps to shrink the distance is hailed as a marvel. The Overland Telegraph really was.
There’s a good history of it, here, that includes the camel trains that supplied the workers and the history of telegraphy in general.
You can still send telegrams, today. It seems a weird amalgam of old and new technologies, but you can use email to send a telegram through services such as Telegram Stop.
2 responses to “The Overland Telegraph”
Yeah, I think it's all those old movies with the grey/khaki uniforms and tears … I was surprised then to realise you could still send one.
It must have been terrible during war time when a telegram arrived. I always connect telegrams with bad news. I think it's all the movies/documentaries I've watched over the years.