Welcome to Curdimurka
Introduction | Special Dates | Centenary of Federation
Aboriginal Connections | Photo Gallery

Enshrined in cement, an original telegraph pole stands as testament to the role Curdamurka played in the construction of the overland telegraph line.

Strict instructions were issued to the overseer to ensure every one of the 36,000 poles of the line were sourced and built to specifications.

All the wire, insulators and insulator pins were provided by the government, but the contractors had to supply the poles.

The poles could be made from straight rough gum, pine or string-bark saplings, or other timber not prone to attacks from termites. They were to be seven metres long and stripped of bark.They were to be twenty five centimetres in diameter at the butt and fifteen at the top. Or square poles could be used, twenty centimetre square at the base and fifteen at the top. The butt of each pole was to be charred for 1.5 metres from the base and planted one metre into the ground.

They were to be twenty poles to the mile, or four chains apart. They had to cart poles from great distances, rather than use inferior timber or too many spliced poles. And yes, there were 36,000 of them.

The name Curdimurka is an Aboriginal word referring to monsters which lived in the Lake Eyre region. Fossils of huge animals have been found to the east in Lake Callabonna.