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Whispering Wire: Tracing the Overland Telegraph Line through the Heart of Australia
The 3200-kilometre-long Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin was completed in 1872. It transformed Adelaide into Australia’s communication hub, connecting the continent with the rest of the world and heralding the dawn of instant global communication. One-hundred-and-fifty years later, author Rosamund Burton traced the path of this largely forgotten strand of wire through the country’s vast desert interior to the flood-prone Top End.
Struggling with a lack of experience and fitness, Rosamund and her friend cycle the first 800 kilometres from Adelaide through the Flinders Ranges to the deserted outback town of Farina, battling piercing winds and pelting rain, visiting sites and chatting with locals as they go. Climbing aboard a four-wheel drive with her husband, she continues along remote dirt tracks searching for derelict telegraph repeater stations, before completing the journey, from Alice Springs to Darwin, delivering an unwieldy campervan.
The author moves across the continent, storytelling, sharing its sometimes brutal history and listening to those who live in this harsh but beautiful country. This quest for connection with the land and an understanding of its people is also an exploration of what it means for the author, being Irish born, to belong in Australia.
Struggling with a lack of experience and fitness, Rosamund and her friend cycle the first 800 kilometres from Adelaide through the Flinders Ranges to the deserted outback town of Farina, battling piercing winds and pelting rain, visiting sites and chatting with locals as they go. Climbing aboard a four-wheel drive with her husband, she continues along remote dirt tracks searching for derelict telegraph repeater stations, before completing the journey, from Alice Springs to Darwin, delivering an unwieldy campervan.
The author moves across the continent, storytelling, sharing its sometimes brutal history and listening to those who live in this harsh but beautiful country. This quest for connection with the land and an understanding of its people is also an exploration of what it means for the author, being Irish born, to belong in Australia.
- GenresNonfiction
268 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 20, 2024
In the process of author Rosamund Burton retracing the original overland telegraph from Adelaide to Darwin, she has given me an amazing account of the history of the explorer John McDouall Stuart, as well as the race to complete the building of the telegraph line by 1872.
Prior to this advance in communication between Australia and England, Australian settlers and Colonial leaders had to await news of a death, birth, war and trade deals to come by ship over many months.
Rosamund's book is a layered account. First of all it is the honestly told story of her gutsy bike journey along with friend Fleur, for the first section of 800 of 3200 kms. The next section is with her husband Steve in his 'monstermobile' navigating rough dirt terrain to be faithful to the original route as much as possible. All the while Rose is searching for the original telegraph poles, repeater stations and insulators. The final section to Darwin has Steve return to work and friend Alison accompany Rose in a hired campervan.
The next layer of the story is Rose's account of the near death of John McDouall Stuart who took six attempts to cross the interior of Australia from Adelaide to the north where present Darwin is . Stuarts diary records encounters with the Aboriginal people along the way. He believed they were a fine people, sometimes helpful with sharing waterholes and sometimes not-the horses drank much of the precious resource. Stuart recorded fights with warriors, probably as a result of trespassing tribal boundaries.
The layer I found most interesting if not complex for me as a reader, were the many and varied people indigenous and white, who provided a colourful history of the telegraph wire and the location of the wire and insulators so driving Rose's adventure. We are introduced to many people who have made this harsh environment their home.
The final stretch of the building of the surveyed telegraph line had to be completed by 1872 or England would apply penalties. This stretch was a mammoth task, thwarted by delays in food arriving, lack of water, floods and the sheer harsh landscape.
Rosamund Burton has written a solid and intriguing account of her own sense of discovery to achieve her clear goals. An easy route would have been along bitumen as much as possible, but she steered clear of the more comfortable roads to embrace as much of the original route laid out after Stuarts final success. I knew of explorer JM Stuart, but Rosamund's book has taught me much more.
Prior to this advance in communication between Australia and England, Australian settlers and Colonial leaders had to await news of a death, birth, war and trade deals to come by ship over many months.
Rosamund's book is a layered account. First of all it is the honestly told story of her gutsy bike journey along with friend Fleur, for the first section of 800 of 3200 kms. The next section is with her husband Steve in his 'monstermobile' navigating rough dirt terrain to be faithful to the original route as much as possible. All the while Rose is searching for the original telegraph poles, repeater stations and insulators. The final section to Darwin has Steve return to work and friend Alison accompany Rose in a hired campervan.
The next layer of the story is Rose's account of the near death of John McDouall Stuart who took six attempts to cross the interior of Australia from Adelaide to the north where present Darwin is . Stuarts diary records encounters with the Aboriginal people along the way. He believed they were a fine people, sometimes helpful with sharing waterholes and sometimes not-the horses drank much of the precious resource. Stuart recorded fights with warriors, probably as a result of trespassing tribal boundaries.
The layer I found most interesting if not complex for me as a reader, were the many and varied people indigenous and white, who provided a colourful history of the telegraph wire and the location of the wire and insulators so driving Rose's adventure. We are introduced to many people who have made this harsh environment their home.
The final stretch of the building of the surveyed telegraph line had to be completed by 1872 or England would apply penalties. This stretch was a mammoth task, thwarted by delays in food arriving, lack of water, floods and the sheer harsh landscape.
Rosamund Burton has written a solid and intriguing account of her own sense of discovery to achieve her clear goals. An easy route would have been along bitumen as much as possible, but she steered clear of the more comfortable roads to embrace as much of the original route laid out after Stuarts final success. I knew of explorer JM Stuart, but Rosamund's book has taught me much more.
March 9, 2024
Interesting story by a brave and adventurous woman. History, travel, and memoir, interwoven with stories from people she met on the way.
August 6, 2024
Rosamund Burton gave an author talk in my local library towards the end of 2023. The presentation was entertaining with many amusing anecdotes on her trip following the Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) from Adelaide to Darwin which enticed my buying of this text.
The trip commenced with her friend Fleur, cycling the first 600 or so kilometres, after which her husband met her and they travelled by 4WD, camping along the way to reach Alice Springs. The final component was undertaken some weeks later with another friend and they took a camper van to Darwin (this was done through a company where the driver pays for fuel only in a tightish time frame to return a vehicle to the less favoured direction. In this case more tourists hire a vehicle to go from Darwin to Alice Springs so the reverse trip is a cheaper way to travel).
The purpose of this trip was to visit all the repeater station sites/remains along the OTL to gain understanding of what was required for this amazing feat completed in 1872 to link up with the undersea cabling that carried messages via Morse Code via many countries via Asia and Europe to reach London. This meant that Australia had direct connection within days, rather than many months previously required for news to travel by ship.
Much research of the Sturt and the early explorers is shared relevant to the locations being visited; with the financial and logistic support of the Governor Charles Todd. Todd wanted to ensure that this valuable resource was within the South Australian jurisdiction which at that time included what is now the Northern Territory. There is also many respectful interviews with local Aboriginal people throughout the journey.
At times, this level of preparation and consideration is not matched with geographical investigation of the location of some of the sites being visited. It is possible this was being offhand or humourous to make light of how much work was involved, but it would have been great to have more maps of localities and communities visited. There is one map showing the repeater stations along the 3,200k journey but more maps would have been welcome to have deeper understanding of the places being explored.
It was an enjoyable, interesting read with a perspective that is may be different to a person whose preadult life was not in Australia. This perhaps provides an alternative analytical lens to that of someone whose earlier life experiences are more localised.
The trip commenced with her friend Fleur, cycling the first 600 or so kilometres, after which her husband met her and they travelled by 4WD, camping along the way to reach Alice Springs. The final component was undertaken some weeks later with another friend and they took a camper van to Darwin (this was done through a company where the driver pays for fuel only in a tightish time frame to return a vehicle to the less favoured direction. In this case more tourists hire a vehicle to go from Darwin to Alice Springs so the reverse trip is a cheaper way to travel).
The purpose of this trip was to visit all the repeater station sites/remains along the OTL to gain understanding of what was required for this amazing feat completed in 1872 to link up with the undersea cabling that carried messages via Morse Code via many countries via Asia and Europe to reach London. This meant that Australia had direct connection within days, rather than many months previously required for news to travel by ship.
Much research of the Sturt and the early explorers is shared relevant to the locations being visited; with the financial and logistic support of the Governor Charles Todd. Todd wanted to ensure that this valuable resource was within the South Australian jurisdiction which at that time included what is now the Northern Territory. There is also many respectful interviews with local Aboriginal people throughout the journey.
At times, this level of preparation and consideration is not matched with geographical investigation of the location of some of the sites being visited. It is possible this was being offhand or humourous to make light of how much work was involved, but it would have been great to have more maps of localities and communities visited. There is one map showing the repeater stations along the 3,200k journey but more maps would have been welcome to have deeper understanding of the places being explored.
It was an enjoyable, interesting read with a perspective that is may be different to a person whose preadult life was not in Australia. This perhaps provides an alternative analytical lens to that of someone whose earlier life experiences are more localised.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews