It has been said that during the 19th century, especially the latter period that the development of the electricity was most pronounced, more so, than any other period.
From the beginning on 1900, the rate of utilisation of electricity, was also beyond all expectations and since then, has progressed further towards, mentioning a few, the radio, television, the transistor and electronics.

Going back into history again, starting from 1837, after the electric battery and the electromagnet were discovered, Samuel Morse introduced the electric telegraph. This was really the beginning of commercially used electricity. Following on from this period and looking at things at our point of view, Australia began to utilise this telegraph system from as early as 1854.
That year, a telegraph line was put in operation from Melbourne to Williamstown on Port Phillip Bay, Williamstown now being a suburb in Melbourne.
This was the first telegraph line installed in Australia, followed by a link up of this communication with Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in 1858, then to Tasmania in 1859.
The next line was from Sydney to Brisbane in 1861 and by 1877, when the line was finished between Adelaide and Perth, made a complete link up between Brisbane and Perth.

A line from Perth to Fremantle had already been run in 1869.
The first telegraph line used in Queensland, was from Brisbane to Ipswich in 1861. Some time after, 1866, the line was continued up to Bowen but not up along the coast. The line continued inland to Toowoomba, Dalby, up through Rockhampton, Mackay, then to Bowen.
It was not until later on that a line was run from Rockhampton, down to Bundaberg and then continued on down the coast to Brisbane by 1875.

The South Australian Government realising that all the capital cities were linked up with the telegraph thought it would be a wonderful feat if a line could be run from Adelaide to Darwin across the centre of Australia.

They were prompted by the fact that England and Europe, were connected by telegraph, as far as Java before 1871.
If this line across Australia could be achieved, then Australia would be in communication with the rest of the world.
With all this in mind the South Australian Government decided to go ahead with this project and engaged three contractors to do it under the general supervision of Charles Todd, the Postmaster-General of South Australia.

The Overland Telegraph Line

The overland telegraph line which started in 1870 was a name applied to the first telegraphic system to span Australia from top to bottom. The line stretching 3175 kilometres from Adelaide to Port Darwin, (as it was called then) was completed in 1872 in the face of extreme difficulties.

Todd divided the route into three main sections using the three contractors, one for each section. The last section from Darwin to Tenant Creek is where they had the most difficulties, such as, failure to realise the wet season up there and the necessity to bring supplies by sea to Port Darwin.
This project was under contract to finish by 1st January 1872, but with the wet season, the line from Darwin only reached Daly Waters and it had to go another 420 kilometres to reach Tennant Creek the central section of the line.
In the meantime it had been arranged with the Government of Java to run a submarine cable from Java and this was done starting from Banjuwangi in Java to Darwin. This was completed on 16th November 1871.
To fulfill the contract, it was decided to bridge the gap between Daly Waters and Tennant Creek, by using horses, as the "pony express", to deliver the messages. This being established, the first through-cablegrams were transmitted in this way, on 23rd June 1872.