The Telegraph Office was opened on 4 January 1865. It was also designated as a Repairing station.

In 1880, 690 messages were sent from Banana including 99 OHMS messages.

The staff consisted of one line Repairer.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 20 October 1866. The Post Office had been established on 1 April 1861 (as Port Denison) but the name was changed in 1865. A new Office was erected in 1869.

During the early part of the 1870s, Bowen became the main repeating centre for the lines to the north. In 1880, 6,189 messages were sent including 1,081 OHMS messages. The staff consisted of one Postmaster, 7 operators, a line repairer and a clerical assistant.

In 1886, the Queensland Figaro published an article describing the staff of the Telegraph Office in "Sleepy Hollow".

Bowen Post and Telegraph Department oval.
BO3-P&TD.

18 April 1905.

Only known example.

Cardwell.

The Telegraph Office opened on 3 January 1870.

In 1880, 2,185 messages were sent including 469 OHMS messages. The staff consisted of one line repairer.

The Telegraph Office opened on16 January 1863. The Post Office was originally established on the Darling Downs as Myall Creek on 1 August 1854 by New South Wales in the Moreton Bay District. It changed its name to Dalby about 1858 before being transferred to Queensland on 1 December 1859.

Durah.

Telegraph Office opened on 4 January 1865. It was the first station to be opened during the construction of the line from Dalby to Taroom.

The Office closed on 31 August 1880.

A rare ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH OFFICE oval date stamp of Durah.
No date.
Only known example.

Size: 26 × 42 mm (e = 0.78)
Rated: RRRR.

Gayndah was originally part of NSW when the Post Office was opened on 1 January 1850 and the office was issued with Barred Numeral 86. The transfer to Queensland occurred on 1 December 1859.

The telegraph line from Maryborough to Hawkwood via Gayndah was completed by the end of 1864.

In 1880, 1,847 messages were sent including 208 OHMS messages. The staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master and a line repairer.

In December 1870, during a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning struck the line, shattered three posts, entered the office and fused six yards of insulated wire - throwing the melted gutta percha against the opposite wall, a distance of twenty two feet. Both leading wires outside the office were completely consumed and fell to the ground in a shower of brilliant sparks. Little damage, however was done to the instruments beyond a slight injury to the relay which was repaired by the Station Master the same evening.

Hawkwood was a repeating station.

A new building was opened in 1880.

In 1880, 434 messages beginning at Hawkwood were sent including 16 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master and two line repairers.

Hidden Valley.

Situated just below Yeppoon, the Telegraph Office was opened

It was used from 24 November 1945 to
24 February 1959.

Diameter: 30 mm.

Rated: RRR.
Dell type 5.

At some time during the early 1960s, the date stamp for Hidden Valley had the prefix TO removed.
Used from 18 November 1964 and
to 15 March 1967.

Rated: Scarce.
Dell type 5x.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 1 August 1863.

In 1880, 12,854 messages were sent including 823 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master, an operator, a line repairer and a clerical assistant.

In March 1883, there is a reference in the South Australian Register that the new Post Office was nearing completion and that it would be supplemented by a Telegraph Office.

No special date stamp for use with telegraph work appears to have been issued at Mackay. An oval date stamp (RO3 - PO) was however issued to the Post Office. Perhaps that date stamp was used for telegram work - a possibioity suggested by the block of 6 at the right.

The block paid 1/- which was a common charge for sending a telegram to another station in Queensland except the GPO at Brisbane.

The format of this date stamp is similar to that used at Wolloongabba.

Mount Chalmers.

Mount Chalmers is north-east of Rockhampton.

After some gold mining between 1869 and about 1900, copper mining began about 1899 through to about 1914.

The town was served by a Post & Telegraph Office and a Railway Station was opened in the early 1900s.

Nangwee.

The office was opened in ??.

Nangwee is south of Dalby and Bowenville which are on the first line from Toowoomba to Dalby.

Nangwee Electric Telegraph Office.
No date - archival strike.

Size: 26 mm × 39 mm (e = 0.75).

Provenance: Carl Burnett, Johnstone.

Rockhampton.

The Telegraph Office was opened on 4 January 1865. The Post Office had been established on 1 April 1858 by New South Wales in the Moreton Bay District before being transferred to Queensland on 1 December 1859.

In 1880, 36,351 messages were sent including 2,835 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master, 9 operators, 1 line repairer, 4 clerical assistants and 3 messengers.

On 9 April 1883 a new Telegraph office was opened.

See also http://www.cqhistory.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Institutions/
RockhamptonPostAndTelegraphServices

 Date stamps for Rockhampton.

There are five formats for date stamps used at Rockhampton.

1. Electric Telegraph Office Oval date stamp (BO3-ETO).

This format is unique in that it has the crown outside of the ellipses.

Used: 20 December 1902 to 5 January 1903.

Size: 27 × 35 mm

Rated: RRR.

Number in Census: 3.

2. Steel circle Telegraph Office/ Rockhampton (SC1-TO).
   Has round dots at sides.
   Font is 3 mm high but thin.

Used: 3 December 1914 to 5 May 1936.

Diameter: 25 mm.

Rated: R.

Number in Census: 10+.

3. Steel circle Telegraph Office/Rockhampton.
   Has 1 mm arcs at the sides.

Used: 14 December 1931.

Diameter: 29 mm.

Rated: RRR.

Number in Census: 3.

5. Unframed rectangular rubber date stamp (RRH0-Rockhampton).

Used: 13 March 1978.

Size: 16 × 38 mm.

Rated: RRRR.

Number in Census: 1.

The Telegraph Office opened on 10 March 1865 with the Post Office changing name from Waverley.

In February 1874, a severe storm hit the region. The Post and Telegraph line was blown away with Mr. Ahern escaping with only the instruments. The Court House, Custom House, two hotels and miles of telegraph posts were all blown away. Sheets of galvanised iron were blown up to three miles away. The aftermath was described as "St. Lawrence presents a wreck which beggars description".

A new Telegraph Office was completed in January 1878.

A steel oval date stamp (SO3-ETO) was available
at the St. Lawrence Electric Telegraph Office.

Used: no example has been recorded of its use on a telegram or cover.
Only this Archival strike is recorded.

Size: 29.5 × 45 mm (e = 0.76).

Rated: RRRRR.

Number in Census: 1.

A very rare page of the archival strikes for St. Lawrence is shown elsewhere.

The Telegraph Office opened on 15 March 1869. Tenders fo a new Telegraph Office were announced in the Gazette of 16 November 1878.

In 1880, 25,693 messages were sent including 2,437 OHMS messages. The telegraph staff consisted of an Electric Telegraph Station Master, 2 operators, 1 line repairer, 1 clerical assistants and 3 messengers.

In August 1902, "some persons stole the telegraph instruments from the office at Townsville and threw them into Ross Creek where they were found in the mud".

In 1914, a coastal radio station mast was built in South Townsville from materials taken from Germans in Bitapaka, New Britain. It was demolished in 1948.

On 27 February 1877 "the first conversation by telephone between the Townsville telegraph office and Charters Towers was carried on at the local telegraph office. The words came through clearly and distinctly but, being on the same wire as that used for ordinary telegraph business, the ticking of the telegraph instrument could be discerned".

Datestamp: Circle.

Base inscription: QLD.

Earliest date of this format:
25 August 1933 (Occleshaw).

Latest date of this format:
22 November 1939.

Characteristics:
Die 5B: A over GR of TELEGRAM.

Number in the Census: 14.