1871, 1872 – Australia’s first overseas telegraph connection

November 1871 saw the first telegraph cable connecting to Australia in Darwin from Banjoewangi in Java.
On the 22nd August 1872 the Overland Telegraph was connected from Adelaide to Darwin completing the telegraph project by Sir Charles Todd.

Here are a few stories from the OTVA collection to aid the Sesqui-Centenary celebrations on 22nd August 2022, the 150th anniversary of the connection between Adelaide and the outside world through Darwin and Java all the way to England.

OTC celebrated the Centenary of the Cables in 1971 with at least 2 publications

The Overseas Telecommunications Veterans count their time from this first cable landing on the mainland of Australia connecting Australia with the world.

This is our, and other telecommunications professionals heritage, hence there have been many stories over the years in our OTVA Veterans’ Newsletters about this and subsequent telecommunications ventures in Australia and the World. Our members continue the fine tradition of providing new and maintaining Communications systems today.

The OTVA Newsletter has run many stories over the years since 1972 about the Overland Telegraph Cable and the first Cable from Java to Darwin. Here are a few of the recent newsletters that have been following the Sesqui-Centenary anniversary.

• OTVA Newsletter June 2020
  • Sesquicentennial: Commencement of Overland Telegraph
  • Connected in Darwin to The Java – Darwin Cable
  • OTC / C&W “ding” we had in November 1971 OTVA Newsletter Feb 1999 OTVA Newsletter Pages 8 – 10)
• OTVA Newsletter September 2020
  • Overland Telegraph Update – Alice Springs & Battery technology
  • Underseas Cables, Heritage listed in NT
  • Underseas Cables Podcast, by the ABC Nightlife
  • More of the Overland Telegraph and Java to Darwin Cable (1872) story
• OTVA Newsletter December 2020
  • Naming of Alice Springs
• OTVA Newsletter March 2021
  • The Overland Telegraph Line-Telecom Australia booklet
  • An End to Silence
• OTVA Newsletter June 2021
  • The Knuckey Story – The Overland Telegraph Line
• OTVA Newsletter September 2021
  • Java – Darwin Telegraph Cable
• OTVA Newsletter Dec 2021
  • 1871 Java – Port Darwin Cable
  • Overland Telegraph – Defining moments
  • The Epic Cycle Ride – from our OTVA Archives
• OTVA Newsletter March 2022
  • 1971 events in Darwin Ding (Centenary of Java-Darwin Cable)

There is more about the sesqui-centenary in the September 2022 Newsletter, but that’s not published as yet. Stay tuned…