Telegraph Station History

The next day we drove back along the same red dirt road to the old Tennant Creek Telegraph Station. It was one of 11 telegraph stations built along the line between Port Augusta and Darwin. The first station was built in 1872 and all telegraph stations became a haven for travellers and a post office and store depot were established. After this station closed, in 1935, part of it became a butcher shop for a local cattle station. The main building has a small display of kitchen artifacts and a number of photo and newspaper albums. There are a number of information boards and tell the story of the station. Well worth a stop over.

A few short kilometres down the road is Tennant Creek. Tennant Creek is the main town between Katherine in the north and Alice Springs in the south. The town was established around a creek named Tennant Creek that was named in 1860 by explorer John McDouall Stuart. It had long been a reliable water source for the Aboriginal people. We stopped for groceries, fuel and Peter's coffee. We went up to the Battery Hill Mining Centre. This is what remains of the battery established in the 1930's when gold was discovered. It now runs underground tours and houses a museum and information centre. The lady there was lovely and recommended some camps to stay at and some not to stay at.

She told us about the Bill Allen Lookout and how caravans would have no trouble getting up there and turning around. We usually don't go to lookouts when towing the van, so this was great information. Bill Allen was a resident of Tennant Creek who was instrumental in many improvements for the town.