Okay kiddo, let's talk about the history of telegraphy in Australia.
A long long time ago before phones and computers, people had to send messages to each other using horse, messenger, or a pigeon! But then the telegraph machine was invented which was like magic. It used electricity to send messages fast over long distances.
In Australia, the telegraph machine first came to use in 1854 from the United Kingdom to connect Melbourne and Williamstown. Later that year, the telegraph line was extended to Geelong and Melbourne was then linked with other states.
Then, a few years later, in 1869, a telegraph cable was laid on the seabed between Australia and New Zealand. This was a very big deal and it helped to speed up communication between the two countries.
The telegraph became very popular as it helped people communicate better and faster. It was used to send news, stock market updates, and even helped to connect far-off parts of the country.
However, in the 20th century, the telephone became more popular, which was even faster and easier to use. The telegraph machines became less popular and eventually, they disappeared entirely in the 1960s.
But we can still see the remnants of the telegraph system around us today such as the tall telegraph poles you see when you go for a drive.
So, that's the story of how the telegraph machine came to be in Australia and its history. I hope you enjoyed learning about it as much as I did explaining it to you!