Today we followed communication lines that have served the needs of the people living out here in the remote outback for the past 150 years.
- In the beginning there would have the old coach-road built and used by Cobb and Co. This was partly visible today snaking back and forth beside the new sealed one. The stagecoaches would have brought in mail and essential supplies to the communities along its route.
- At the turn of the century a railway was built (just to the south) to transport ore, cattle and passengers to and from markets.
- The telegraph line beside the road would have provided people with communications with the outside world. One major benefit was the ability to communicate with medical services in an emergency.
- The modern sealed road we rode on today brings tourism dollars to the area and a way for the dreaded road-trains to get from A to B.
Suggested learning activities: Find out about a major road in your area and research its history. Was it always a road? How would it did it affect your community once built. Were the effects positive or negative? Explain your answer.
Jason