Western Australia- Colonial: 1861-1900.
Telegraph Offices on the WA to SA inter-colonial line.

The Post & Telegraph Offices on the WA-SA Intercolonial line are listed in the table below:

Balladonia Bremer Bay Esperance Bay Eucla  
Eyre Israelite Bay Ravensthorpe    

 

Balladonia.

A Telegraph Office was opened in April 1897. This Office was upgraded to a Post & Telegraph Office in 1900.

In December 1897, Executive Council noted that the tender for the construction of the Balladonia Post and Telegraph Office had been let to Mr. W. Harrison for the price of £2,939 9s.

It is reported that two formats of a rubber oval POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp were issued to the office .

  1. A RO2-P&TO date stamp:

Used:

Size:

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 0.

  
  1. a RO2-P&TO date stamp:

Used:

Size:

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 0.

  
Bremer Bay.

The Telegraph Office was opened 8 March 1876 the first station to be opened along the line.

This Office was upgraded to a Post & Telegraph Office in 1895.

In May 1896, a tender was let with Mr. W. Harrison to construct a Telegraph Station at Bremer Bay for £1,939 7s.

 Bremer Bay
17 September 1910.

Esperance Bay.

The Telegraph Office was opened 8 August 1876. It had been hoped to open the station in April - it was to be the second station to be opened along the line.

The township was formally gazetted as Esperance in December 1893.

In 1913, a Wireless Station was established at Esperance.

The Sydney Morning Herald of 3 December 1895 carried the following article showing the development of Esperance:

"A large and representative mass meeting was held here on Saturday to impress on the people of the Esperance the necessity of making strong efforts to get the Government to construct some of the public works so badly wanted here, prominent amongst which are direct telegraphic communication to Norseman, the extension of the Esperance jetty, and the water conservation question on the route. The resolutions were carried unanimously. Fresh arrivals from Norseman and Dundas are coming into Esperance daily on account of the exemptions. They all speak highly of the fields. Such a host of business is passing through the town that the post-office is cleared of postage stamps and telegraphic forms".


Esperance Post and Telegraph Office December 1896.
Notice the Christmas decorations around verandah.

Personel.

In 1894, the staff at the Geraldton Post and Telegraph Office comprised:

    • the Telegraph Master;
    • 1 assistant;
    • 1 lineman;
    • 1 native assistant.

To these it was proposed to add 2 assistants and 1 messenger to increase the staff from 4 to 7.

1884: Alfred N. Piesse was appointed as a Telegraphist having served at Northam until 1883.

Eucla

The Telegraph Office in Eucla was opened on 8 December 1877. It was upgraded to a Post & Telegraph Office in 1895.

A personal account by Mr. F. G. Simmons was published in the Adelaide Mail of 4 August 1945.

 See separate page.
1885: Alfred N. Piesse was appointed as a Telegraphist having served at Northam until 1883 and in 1884 at Esperance.

Eyre.

A Telegraph Office was opened on 17 July 1877. It was upgraded to a Post & Telegraph Office in 1895.

The joint office was closed in 1927.
   
Israelite Bay.

The Telegraph Office was opened 5 December 1876.

On 27 September 1895 in the Legislative Assembly, the Director of Public Works (Hon. H. W. Venn) referring to item No. 174 (Israelite Bay Telegraph Station, £2,500), said "the proper name for the position of this station would be Point Malcolm and he moved that the words 'Point Malcolm' be inserted in lieu of the words 'Israelite Bay' ".

 Is Bay 1907 Is Bay 1912

Personnel.

1885: Alfred N. Piesse was appointed as a Telegraphist having served at Northam until 1883 and from 1884 at Esperance and Eucla.

October 1893: Mr. W. Craig was appointed as Assistant at Israelite Bay.

Ravensthorpe.

The Post & Telegraph Office was opened on 29 January 1901.

A rubber oval POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp
(RO7 - P&TO) was issued to the Office:

Used: 5 August 1909.

Size: 24 × 48 mm (e = 0.87).

Rated: RRRR.

Number in the Census: 1.


5 August 1909.
On a postcard to Tasmania

Prestige Philately February 2012 Lot 754.
Abacus December 2019 Lot 2278.