First pole on the Overland Telegraph, c1870

Educational value

• This asset depicts the beginning of the construction of the Overland Telegraph from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory - following exploration of the route by John McDouall Stuart in 1862, the South Australian Parliament gave authorisation to build the 3,200-kilometre line by December 1871, when undersea cable from Java was due to reach Darwin; the mammoth undertaking was constructed in sections, in record time, under the supervision of South Australian Superintendent of Telegraphs, Charles Todd, but when the due date arrived, over 300 kilometres of line remained unfinished; the undersea cable from Java, however, broke down shortly afterwards, and the Overland Telegraph was finally completed in October 1872, just after the cable from Java was repaired.
• It marks Australia's first telegraphic connection with overseas, particularly Britain - at a time when ships were the main form of transport, and passage from Britain to Australia took about three months, telegraph messages could come by morse code over cable in a few hours.
• It shows the wooden poles used for telegraph line construction in temperate zones - in the tropics, metal poles were needed to prevent termite attacks.
• It provides a glimpse of the sloping-sided wall-style tents used by workmen as they camped along the line of construction.
• It illustrates the work of artist Samuel Calvert - Calvert was born in London, migrated to Adelaide in 1848 and then moved to Melbourne in 1852; he worked as an illustrator for such publications as the 'Illustrated Melbourne Post' and the 'Illustrated Australian News', before retiring to England in 1905.
• It provides an example of wood engraving (xylography), the oldest engraving technique, in which the engraver outlines the drawing with sharp tools, raising relief for ink to be laid on - this was the most popular technique for illustrating publications throughout the 19th century, before techniques for reproducing photographs in newspapers were developed.
• It illustrates late mid-Victorian dress styles - the women are in long full-skirted dresses, with nipped-in waists, voluminous sleeves and small, forward-tilted hats; some men, probably supervisors, are in frock coats and top hats, while others, probably the telegraph line workers, are in loose full shirts with belted trousers, and are either hatless or wearing homburgs.

Year level

3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12

Topics Australian history Engraving Newtons Telegraphy