South Australia.
The lines to the South and the Yorke Peninsula.

There are three distinct regions in this overall area:

  1. the line to the south on the mainland;
  2. the lines to and on Kangaroo Island;
  3. the line down the Yorke Peninsula.
Yorke Line to the South.

The line to Mount Gambier via Willunga was constructed in 1858. As the main through line to the south of Adelaide had been established, branch lines were added when required. The line to Glenelg was the first addition - with the Telegraph Office opening on September 1859. At that time, the jetty had been opened only a few months which was a main motivating for the telegraph line. Port Adelaide had not yet been opened and the jetty was used for cargo as well as to unload the mails from the service operated by P&O.

Telegraph Offices along the coast were opened partly to service the various port facilities - at Noarlunga, Aldinga and Normanville. Although there were each in the same general area, the terrain was difficult for transporting produce, etc overland. Yankalilla was opened in 1862 but transferred to Normanville the following year as the latter was on the coast and was the point from which the district's wheat was exported. The House of Assembly had approved the expenditure for the lne to Yankalilla on 5 August 1861.

The line to and on Kangaroo Island.

The southern telegraph line was finally extended to Cape Jervis. This was the beginning of another important Todd project which recognised the importance of the seven lighthouses to the south of Adelaide.

The South Australian Chronicle announced on 29 March 1879 that "A surveyor and three men started from Adelaide on Monday morning, March 24, to survey a route for a telegraph line from Kingscote to Cape Willoughby, Kangaroo Island. The money for this work was voted last session".