Eucla and the telegraph station became busy during the gold rushes of the early 1890s. The southern edge of the park borders a section of the great australian bight. Eucla is the easternmost locality in western australia, located in the goldfieldsesperance. Definitely worth a look, a piece of history when things where made well it is a pity about the. Oct 11, 2016 located about 10 kilometres from the western and south australian borders. Murrawijinie caves eucla 2020 all you need to know. The ruins of the original telegraph station which still stand amongst the dunes are a local. Attached to the back of the book are copies of directives issued by the. Initially, they shared house with assistant telegraph operator charles annear, who was later to become their brother in law.
Cape arid national park is a wildly beautiful and biodiverse area. Historical society eghs wants your covid19 story for the history books. This page was last edited on 24 august 2019, at 00. The east and west links were joined at eucla in wa, where the old telegraph station remained in operation until 1927. In the outback region of western australia lies eucla, a small town that played an important role in australian history. Be sure to check out the ghostly remains of the old telegraph station in eucla. The survey of the eucla interstate telegraph line from albany to adelaide in 18734 identified the need for a town at eucla. Eucla telegraph station on the western and south australian colonial border ca. Eucla is the largest settlement on the nullarbor plain, just 10 minutes short of the south australian border. Eucla hence became a vital key in the chain of relay stations across australia. Originally a bunch of houses, long wharf for supplies from perth and the telegraph station. Cape arid explore parks wa parks and wildlife service. The ruins of the buildings which have now been inundated by evershifting sand, and the derelict jetty on the coast just to the west of eucla pass, today provide points of historical interest for the tourist. It is also considered as a major stopoff point along the eyre highway for travellers coming from norseman and ceduna.
Beyond the ruins are the remains of a jetty, a reminder of. Log books eucla telegraph station state records office. The telegraph line betweeen adelaide and perth opened in 1877, five years after the adelaide darwin overland telegraph line opened. If you would like further information about this image, please ask usask us. The first of 11,000 annual telegraph messages was sent to perth on december 8th, 1877, with the simple words eucla line opened. Sep 24, 2015 while known for being the only western australian location that has a direct view of the great australian bight, eucla has plenty more to offer, hidden beneath the ruins of the eucla telegraph station. Visit eucla jetty on your trip to eucla or australia inspirock. Book ahead to visit you can also stay overnight the eyre bird observatory, australias first bird observatory, it was established in 1977 in the 1897 stone telegraph station nestled between woodlands and white dunes within walking distance of the beach. Murrawijinie caves eucla 2020 all you need to know before. It is quite strange, that a piece of history as important as this doesnt have a lot of information easily found.
A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The camels and their cameleers helped carry supplies inland for the mining and sheep industries, aided the building of the overland telegraph line, the canning stock route, major fence lines and the transaustralia and central australian. Australian telephony history old australian telephones. The work is progressing says a correspondent at the wireless on radio telegraph station at esperance, and the mast, one of the principal items of a station, is erected to enable the aerial wires to be suspended at a suitable height, so that intervening obstacles will not obstruct the message. Coastal sandheaths, mallee and low granite hills extend inland to mount ragged after which the vegetation is transformed into woodlands dominated by saltbush and bluebush.
The remnants of the town are still just visible, mainly old footings and lower sections of. The brilliant blue waters, snowwhite beaches and over 100 islands create a dazzling contrast to the red earth of the surrounding outback. The intercolonial telegraph line at eucla, the border telegraph station between south australia and western australia. It was the third such station in western australia and was constructed by the commonwealth using the commonwealth system of wireless telegraphy invented by john graeme balsillie and manufactured by shaw and kirkby at their randwick radio works. Jun 06, 2018 book ahead to visit you can also stay overnight the eyre bird observatory, australias first bird observatory, it was established in 1977 in the 1897 stone telegraph station nestled between woodlands and white dunes within walking distance of the beach. Media in category eucla telegraph station the following 16 files are in this category, out of 16 total. Eucla telegraph station staff photograph state library of. Lawrence, j, perthadelaide telegraph link, early days, volume 3, part 7, 1945, p 38. Eucla is the easternmost locality in western australia, located in the goldfields esperance. Mar 31, 2011 eucla s southern ocean beach is windy, cold and totally unspoilt. Eucla telegraph station staff photograph state library. Register of heritage places assessment docn eucla telegraph station ruin 2 26082003 eucla telegraph station ruin is associated with expiree james fleming who was involved in construction of the first private telegraph lines in the state in 18691872 and, as superintendent of the post and telegraph department. The story subsequently turned out to be a hoax created by the residents of the tiny settlement. On 25 december 1896, after an arduous journey of thirtyone days, arthur charles jeston richardson became the first cyclist to cross the nullarbor plain, pedaling his bicycle from coolgardie to adelaide.
Eucla is a small settlement 12 kilometres west of the south australian border. These log books contain a daily record of the jobrelated activities of personnel working at eucla telegraph station. Land was set aside in 1873, although the townsite was not gazetted until 1885. Completed in 1872, the overland telegraph line allowed fast communication between australia and the rest of the world. The remnants of the town are still just visible, mainly old footings and lower sections of the walls. It was originally built in 1877 for the telegraph station, which was built too close to the coast and was abandoned.
The telegraph line is regarded as one of the most important innovations in the 19th century. Take a photograph of this constantly changing landmark before it disappears. Eucla was proclaimed a township in 1885 and was at its most populous in the late 1920s. The following article was published in the kalgoorlie western argus on march 12, 1896. Carrying only a small kit and a waterbag, he followed the telegraph line as he crossed the nullarbor. This is a great book for those who want to explore off the paved roads and has been sought by many travellers of the area. Widgemooltha eucla, western australia outback history.
Eucla is the easternmost town in western australia. In 1877 eucla was established as a manual telegraphic repeater station connecting the overland telegraph from darwin and london and europe to perth. While known for being the only western australian location that has a direct view of the great australian bight, eucla has plenty more to offer, hidden beneath the ruins of the eucla telegraph station. Top 12 things to see along the eyre highway border. Old telegraph station eucla nullarbor roadtrip australias golden. By 1 december 1901, when the commonwealth post and telegraph act 1901 came. Each side received their respective messages and handed them through a window in the low dividing wall to the operator on the other side for retransmission. Visit eucla jetty on your trip to eucla or australia. Esperance and the fitzgerald coast, located the south coast of western australia boast some of the states most pristine and untouched coastal scenery, national parks and marine playgrounds. Book your tickets online for eucla telegraph station, eucla. It is a 34 kilometre 21 mile detour via 4wd only southeast of the eyre highway.
Widgemooltha eucla, western australia outback family history. The ruins of the original telegraph station which still stand amongst the dunes. The name eucla is said to come from the aboriginal word for bright and its original owners were the marning tribe and it was in 1877 that ecula was first inhabited by europeans when it was set up as a repeater station for the overland telegraph. Now it is little more than a few old stone walls protruding above the moving dunes. Explore the ruins of this historic site which are slowly being covered by shifting sand dunes. Food is pricey in restaurant, expect loads of flys in summer dont leave your room door open but they have great takeaway coffee. Other notable features of the park include wilson bluff and delisser sandhills. Eucla is the largest stopping point between norseman and penong for travellers along the eyre highway. The area is composed of mallee scrub and heath vegetation, typical of the southern coast. Euclas southern ocean beach is windy, cold and totally unspoilt. With our online itinerary creator, eucla attractions like old telegraph station can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away. In 1873, land was taken up at moopina station near the present townsite, and work commenced on a telegraph line from albany to adelaide. Fragments of wood collected from the site of the eucla telegraph station near the south australiawest australia border.
Visit old telegraph station on your trip to eucla or australia. Dedicated to the history of landline telegraphy and to. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Its the perfect place to indulge your love of nature and. The telegraph station was associated with the albany to eucla telegraph line and operated from 1877 to 1896. The eucla telegraph station, opened in 1877, helped link western australia with not only the rest of the continent, but with the rest of the world. The governor of western australia, his excellency professor gordon reid, witnessed the end of an era in the history of telegraphs in western australia. Cape arid and eucla national parks by parks and wildlife. On this day, telecoms chief telegraph office supervisor, jack fleming oversighted the sending of a telegram to the mayor of fremantle, a telegram that had first been sent precisely 117 years.
History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in. The telegraph line opened in 1877, and the eucla telegraph station was one of the most important on the line. Hurrah, just 33 years after samuel morse invented the telegraph. The wireless telegraphy station at geraldon with callsign vie commenced operation on 21 july 19. History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in australia. Four men and a camel and cart outside the eucla telegraph station, western australia. The material ranges from the operational records of telegraph stations to correspondence between former telegraphists half a century after they had worked together at the eucla telegraph station. There was a 1 kilometre long tram line between the jetty and the telegraph station, for bringing supplies to the lonely outpost. Log books eucla telegraph station state records office of wa. Land was set aside at eucla for the establishment of a manual repeater station, and when the telegraph line opened in 1877, eucla was one of the most important telegraph stations on the line. It has a hotel and restaurant, a police station, a golf club 7 km to the north, a museum dedicated to the old telegraph station, and a meteorological station. The australian overland telegraph line was a 3200 km telegraph line that connected darwin with port augusta in south australia. Eucla is the easternmost locality in western australia, located in the.
Particular attention is paid to the degree to which communication along the telegraph lines was possible. Cape arid and eucla national parks including israelite baynuytsland nature reserve. Take a photograph of this constantly changing landmark before it disappears under the ever encroaching white sand dunes. Post and telegraph museum held thousands of historical items in a variety of formats. Mar 18, 2015 cape arid and eucla national parks including israelite baynuytsland nature reserve. Early days of telegram history in western australia. Nov 29, 2015 the eucla telegraph station, opened in 1877, helped link western australia with not only the rest of the continent, but with the rest of the world. Do you need to book in advance to visit eucla telegraph station. Eucla telegraph station was the largest station on the 1877 eastwest telegraph line, and acted as a transfer point of telegraphic messages between sa and wa from 1896 to 1905, when the operations were amalgamated under the wa post and telegraph department. Eucla national park is a national park in western australia, 1,238 kilometres 769 mi east of perth the southern edge of the park borders a section of the great australian bight. Dedicated to the history of landline telegraphy and to the morsemen who made the history. The widgiemooltha norseman balladonia telegraph track has been recognised by the heritage council of wa as having significant heritage value in western australias history.
Eucla telegraph station 2020 all you need to know before you. An additional section was added in 1877 with the completion of the western australian section of the line. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Bridges book of israelite bay area history, including balladonia, with many photos. Located about 10 kilometres from the western and south australian borders. During this period, they built their own house and moved into it in 1887. Old telegraph station attraction tour eucla western. Revisit the past with the eucla telegraph station, a historical site that tells the story of how communication was changed forever in australia. The eastwest telegraph line, of which eyre bird observatory was an element, is valued by the institution of engineers australia, wa division, who have declared the line an engineering landmark, and by australia post who have assisted in the establishment of museums of local telegraph history at eyre and eucla. Situated a few kilometers across the border of western australia, visiting the eucla telegraph station is just one of the many things you should include in your adventure while crossing the nullarbor as this constantly changing landmark is little more than a few old stone walls protruding above the moving dunes. The rise of eucla in the late nineteenthcentury as a border telegraph station, located on western australias southern maritime border with south australia, has been celebrated by moyal 1984 for the cohesion and resilience of its skilled workforce. Built and opened in 1877, eucla telegraph station became a vital key in the chain of relay stations stretching from esperance western australia to port augusta in south australia. Peter gifford, a former journalist, is studying for a ph.
Once an important stop on the telegraph line, it is now a scenic nullarbor roadhouse at the point where the coastal cliffs move inland and the eyre highway drops down onto the roe plains. Eucla national park is a national park in western australia, 1,238 kilometres 769 mi east of perth. Great photo opportunity of eucla jetty and telegraph stations imagine the importance and isolation of the people who worked at the station,transferring information from east to west more. Eucla telegraph station the buried eucla telegraph station can be found a few kilometres across the border in.
167 1381 368 99 1449 819 1482 1484 815 1354 1090 194 499 506 1257 692 1545 584 744 1393 1365 1380 1215 79 911 455 15 943 1063 25 978 780 1408 841 804 864