Victoria - Colonial: 1854-1900.
Goulburn Valley Line (No. 6 North East).

 

In 1864 there were signs that a new line could be created in the central north but to the east of the Heathcote branch. For example, the McIvor Times and the Rodney Advertiser of 16 September 1864 published a suggestion about this area:

"the subject of the desirability of securing an extension of the telegraph line to Sandhurst from Heathcote grasps at a practical object and one which should, if possible, be secured; for then, with an extension to Rushworth, Whroo, and Murchison, we should be independent of any interruption on the Kilmore line. To secure this advantage is within the reach of the people of Heathcote, Rushworth, Whroo, and Murchison and we hope the people of those places will co-operate with the people of Heathcote in an endeavour to obtain it".

Moama, Rochester and Elmore are on the Echuca line.

This map leads east to the Yarrawonga Branch of the Wood's Point line.

 

 
This map leads west to the Swan Hill line.
This map leads west and south-west to the First Victorian line and the Central Victorian lines to about 1862. This map leads north-east along the Albury inter-colonial line.

Seymour to Rushworth.

Stations along the Albury lines were opened at Seymour (1865) and at Avenel (1874). Heathcote was well to the west of either place - hence not really allowing the possibility of implementing the above suggestion. These stations did however open the possibility of branching off the Albury lines to the north and passing through the growing centers of Murchison and Rushworth. Indeed, as reported in The Argus on 26 March 1873, "a deputation intended to wait upon the Postmaster-General to request him to undertake the construction of a telegraph line from Seymour, along the valley of the Goulburn, through Nagambie to Murchison and Rushworth. Mr. Langton was, however, out of town and the interview had to be postponed".

Soon after the opening of the Avenel Telegraph Office in 1874, a Branch line to the north was commenced and it was first documented under the name of the Rushworth Branch. By 1884, the name was changed to the Goulburn Valley line. It left the North-Eastern line before Avenel at Seymour and was constructed to Murchison and Rushworth by the end of 1874 with an intermediate Telegraph Office opening at Ngambie in January 1875.

In 1880, an office was opened at the new Mangalore Railway Station close to the main line where the connection had been made previously for the line through to Ngambie.

 

North of Rushworth.

The general region to the north of Rushworth around Shepparton began development in the mid-1860s and was the subject of considerable land release. Hence, after a pause in construction following the opening of the line to Rushworth, the telegraph line was extended to Mooroopna and Shepparton from Murchison where the Telegraph Offices was opened about the end of 1879. Only a year before the Telegraph Office had opened in Shepparton, the first bridge was built over the Goulburn River. The first church was built in Shepparton at about the same time as the Telegraph Office opened (although no connection between these two events has ever been identified). In December 1881, tenders were called for the construction of the telegraph line east from Shepparton to Cashel (near the Yarrawonga branch).

By 1879, the nearby town of Tatura supported hotels, a butcher, baker, saddlers and other similar commercial buildings as well as 30 houses but no public buildings. So, in 1882, the telegraph line was extended from Shepparton through Tatura and also further to the north to Numurkah in conjunction with the expansion of the railway system in Victoria.

 

The 1890 classifications.

By 1890, increased construction and a re-configuring of the linkages meant that there was two lines to and in the general north area of Melbourne. The lines which were not solely for telephones were:

Line 26:. Melbourne through Essendon Test Box, Kilmore East Railway Station, Seymour, Nagambie, Murchison, Rushworth, Tatura, Mooroopna, Shepparton, Congupna Railway, Wunghnu, Numurkah Railway, Numurkah to Nathalia
(on Railway Department poles from Shepparton to Numurkah).
Line 149: Melbourne through Essendon Test Box, Kilmore, Broadford, Tallarook, Seymour, Nagambie, Mooroopna to Shepparton.