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Charles Todd, Superintendent of Telegraphs in Adelaide and the man responsible for the building of Overland Telegraph Line, had split the 3200km line into three sections. These were the southern section (Port Augusta to the Treuer River); central section (Treuer River to Tennant Creek) and northern section; (Tennant Creek to Darwin).

The men and supplies from the southern and central sections were all to pass through or start work at Port Augusta, where they set up camp at Stirling. Although this journey from Adelaide to Port Augusta was by far the easiest of all, traversing it was not without hazard.

Those who journeyed by ship were fine. It was those men who had to journey through the settled areas that had trouble keeping to their schedule. They wanted to stop at the pub for a beer.

But when you have a party of three, five horse wagons, four horse express wagons, six saddle horses and bullock wagons packed with provisions, if you stop, it's pretty hard to get moving again. One overseer had a brilliant strategy. He placed several staunch teetotallers as head drivers with a blunt message to stop for nothing.

Even before reaching Gawler some men wanted to stop for a beer. They were told to get what they wanted but the party wouldn't wait and if they weren't there for roll call that night they would be struck off the team. The plan worked. Those who took a glass, quickly caught up with the rest.

The first pole was planted at Port Augusta on October 1, 1870 signalling the start of work at both ends of the line. On this occasion, all the men were shouted one beer. (The first of the 36,000 poles of the Overland Telegraph had already been planted in Darwin on September 15th, as the northern sections had started work earlier).

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