Author(s): Adam Courtenay

Australiana

In 1855 Charles Todd had a bold dream to build a telegraph line across Australia to connect it to the world. By 1870, Singapore had joined the global network: now for Australia. Todd and his men successfully erected thousands of telegraph poles - one every 80 metres - across land that was relentlessly inhospitable and largely unknown to them. In 1855 talented astronomer and scientist Charles Todd had a dream to build a telegraph line across Australia to connect it to the world. This dream was a bold one and he would have to wait for technological advances to catch up with his ideas. By 1870, however, Singapore and Indonesia were joined to the world's growing telegraph network and it was Australia's turn. Todd and his men would have to erect thousands of telegraph poles across the entire expanse of the country, from Adelaide to the northern coast - one pole every 80 metres - across land that was relentlessly inhospitable and largely unknown to them. They overcame every obstacle and, as well as reducing the transmission of information to the country from months to hours, revealed the splendour of the continent's interior to its rapidly growing population. This is their story.