Carnarvon.

Carvarvon is situated at the mouth of the Gascoyne River and is between Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Reef. It served as a shipping point for the wool produced in the pastoral district.

The town was founded in 1881 as Gascoyne but was renamed on 15 August 1884. The town site was officially gazetted in 1883.

The Telegraph Office opened in August 1884. By the mid 1890s, there was still no Post Office but there were two hotels and two stores for the population of 200 plus a school house, a church, a library, a hospital and a gaol. A Lighthouse operated at Carvarvon from 1897 to about 1972.

By April 1885, the need for a Telegraph Messenger was being sorely felt.

Personnel:

August 1884: Mr. Lloyd was appointed as the first Telegraph Master at Carvarvon.
In March 1886, "We have had the Otway here, which brought us a good number of persons, including ... Mr. Lloyd our esteemed Telegraph Master, who was accompanied by his bride, who we hope will be pleased with her new home".
Mr. Devenish was appointed assistant to Mr. Lloyd.

August 1896: Mr. A. Knight was appointed Telegraph Operator.

Only one date stamp was issued to Carnarvon for use with telegraphs:

RO2 - P&TO oval rubber date stamp.

Used: about 1934.

Rated: RRR.

Number in the Census: 0.

Commonwealth period Type A.
Used from March 1904.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 21 April 1884. It was originally named the Flint Cliff (or Flintcliffe) Telegraph Station.

FOR SALE advertisements appearing in May 1885 to auction a run comprising 420,000 acres of good salt bush and milk bush country at Sharks Bay included the sentence "Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station is in the run".

A new building was put to tender in 1896. In January 1897, a tender was accepted to provide a portable telegraph station to Winning Pool for £436 9s 8d. No further information is available.

In 1904 the Office was upgraded to be a Post and Telegraph Office. That operated until 29 November 1963 when the status of the Post Office was reduced to "Non-Official".

The Telegraph Line Maintenance Depot was closed on 29 November 1963. The motivation for this closure was that Lineman C. V. Cross ceased duty to take leave prior to retirement on 6 February 1964. Further details below!!!

The Post Office was closed on 6 July 1971.

For more information about the Telegraph Station and the tours now available, see elsewhere.

Hamelin Pool Post Office about 1950.

Hamelin Pool - The old Telegraph Office.
The sign above the steps on the right is for "TELEGRAPH STATION".
Scanned from a commemorative Advance Post Card.

February 1884: Mr, R. J. Thompson was appointed Station Master.

1893: Mr. Thompson was upgraded to the position of Telegraph Master.

May 1894: Mr. F. J. Dobleavy was appointed as Assistant.

July 1895 - April 1896: Mr. J. R. Sinclair was appointed Telegraph Master.

April 1896 - 1901: Mr. Thompson returned as Telegraph Master.

September 1896: Mr. A. Timms and Mr. C. Street were appointed by Executive Council to be Telegraph Operators at Hamelin Pool.

Mr. Clarence Vician Cross (husband of Grace) - most commonly known by his nickname "Adge" - was born at Shark Bay on 7 February 1899. He left the district when he was young but returned when he was 13 so he could assist his father in the pearling business.

Adge joined the Western Australia Post and Telegraph Service on 23 September 1940 as an exempt Lineman. He was transferred to Carnarvon in 1942 but returned to Hamelin Pool in 1948 as Acting District Lines Officer.

Mr. and Mrs Cross had a reputation for their hospitality and many visitors - important and not-so-important - signed their visitors' book with comments of glowing praise.

Given the nature of his work. Adge had many stories about his work in the very large district he served. One story from 1936 was about when one of his horses became sick. Adge made a number of urgent requests to Perth for a replacement horse. He was however finally persuaded to accept a motor vehicle - a 1936 12 cwt Chevrolet utility!!

The only track along which Adge could drive was formed from the lineman's constant travelling over the years. Even today it requires a four wheel drive.

Another of Adge's stories re;ates to when the Postmaster and the Lineman built themselves a boat. Unfortunately over time, their friendship diminished before ending. Given the circumstances, they had to decide who got the boat - but they were equal partners. Adge solved the problem (to some extent) by simply sawing the boat into two equal parts from stem to stern.

On one occasion, Adge had to cross a flooded river to repair a line and left his clothes on the other side.
A better view than of the building itself

Date stamps.

Despite Adge's best efforts, the Telegraph Office at Hamelin Pool was never issued with a date stamp for telegraph purposes.

Used in black: 1 December 1911 to 11 May 1958.

Diameter: 26 mm.

Rating: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 6

 

Note: the outer ring deteriorated significantly over time.

Used in black: 1 September 1960.

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rating: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 3

Shark's Bay.

A Post and Telegraph Office was opened on 15 October 1893. It was downgraded to an Administrative Office on 15 August 1902.

Personnel.

April 1893: Mr. G. W. Sullivan was appointed the first Post and Telegraph Master at Shark's Bay.

Winning Pool.

A Telegraph Office opened at Lyndon (River) on 1 January 1898. Business was to be received between 4:00 am and 7:00 pm.

In July 1898, the name Lyndon was changed to Winning Pool..

In August 1896, the lowest tender submitted to the Public Works Department for the work of erecting a telegraph station at Winning Pool was that of Messrs J. Wishart and Son at £1,834. Details of why that tender did not go ahead cannot be found. Nevertheless, on 27 November, the Gazette advertised as follows: "A Post and Telegraph Office, with rooms for the Officer in charge, is to be built at Winning Pool. Tenders for the work are now being invited by the Public Works Department".

Also in November 1896, tenders were called in the Gazette for a "Portable Telegraph Station.-Tenders for delivering, f .o.b. Fremantle, framed material for a portable building for the purposes of a telegraph station, stabling, &c, at Winning Pool, will be received up to noon on Tuesday, December 1". On 2 December, the tender submitted by Mr. W. H. Rhodes was accepted for £436 9s 8d.

In May 1899, a ship, whose name was not known, was wrecked in the Black Rock passage. News had been received in Carnarvon. It was then decided to send the Line Repairer, who was stationed on the Telegraph line at Winning Pool, to the wreck and wire details from his station. Winning Pool was the nearest station on the Telegraph line to Point Cloates being 65 miles from the coast. Mr. Clayton Mason - the Collector of Customs at Carnavon said "he said that he did not expect any immediate news as the telegraph lineman at Winning Pool would have to travel 65 miles to the scene of the wreck to get the information he had been despatched to seek, and then would have to return over the same distance before he would be able to put himself in communication with Perth".

The Telegraph Office was opened at Wooramel on 24 December 1897. The Gazette in June 1900 announced that space had been set aside (at Wooramel River) for a public reserve upon which a Post & Telegraph Office would later be built. Wooramel Station was - and still is - a sheep station about 113 km (70 miles) south-east of Carnarvon. The Wooramel River passes though the area.

The West Australian of 3 July 1900 reported that "Dan. Masters had been appointed Stationmaster at Wooramel Telegraph Station".

Used in black: 1 September 1910.

Size: 25 × 49 mm (e = 0.86).

Rating: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1

1 September 1909.
Used on a registered OHMS cover to Perth.

The only recorded example of this date stamp.