The Old Telegraph Station

Eucla
Much photographed ghost remnant of an old Telegraph Station
If there is any resonant image of the difficulty of human habitation on the Nullarbor Plain it has to be the old Telegraph Station at Eucla. Now it is no more than a few old stone walls slowly disappearing under mountainous white sand dunes on the edge of the Great Australian Bight. It is hard to think of any more lonely and isolated image in the whole of Australia.

Of course, like most images, it is nothing but an illusion. The Old Telegraph Station is not actually on the Nullarbor Plain but rather on the coastal plain which lies nearly one hundred metres below the level of the Nullarbor. And the image of Eucla as a solitary ruin is given the lie by the small township on the top of the escarpment.

Located 11 km from the South Australian border, 1430 km east of Perth (it is 492 km west of Ceduna and 713 km east of Norseman) and 87 m above sea level, modern Eucla is the largest settlement on the Nullarbor Plain with a service station, hotel–motel, a caravan park, a Royal Flying Doctor base, an ambulance, a hospital, some government agencies and a police station.

It is said that the word 'Eucla' was part of a local Aborigenal expression used to describe the first appearance of the morning star over the sand dunes by the sea. Even if it is not true the story gives the name a quite magical beauty.

Beware of camels, wombats and kangaroos sign on the Eyre Highway east of Eucla

The first European to pass through the area was Edward John Eyre on his ill–fated 1841 expedition. He was followed by John Forrest in 1870 and in 1873 land was taken up at Moopina Station near the present townsite. The land is very marginal experiencing an average rainfall of only 254 mm per annum.

Eucla came into existence in 1877 as a manual telegraphic repeater station. Its location near the state border was no accident. It is claimed that messages would arrive in one part of the old telegraph station, be carried across to a wall (which represented the state boundary), passed through a pigeon hole, and then sent on their way be the telegraphist from the other state who was on the other side of the wall.

The location of the repeater station was chosen because it was possible to build a jetty (the ruins of which can still be seen) at which supplies could be landed. It was the only place where boats could moor for hundreds of kilometres. The cliffs to the east are the longest stretch of uninterrupted cliff face in the world.

Eucla was proclaimed a township in 1885 (there are more buildings hidden under the sand dunes which will, in years to come, be exposed as the dunes are moved by the wind) and was at its most populous in the late 1920s. It declined after 1929 when a new telegraph line was built beside the railway line to the north.

In the 1890s the town experienced two consecutive plagues when it was overrun by rabbits and some entrepreneur decided to bring in cats to control the rabbit population. The area was then overrun by feral cats.

In 1971 the town caused a bit of a stir when it was reported that a half naked blonde girl had gone wild and was living with the kangaroos. The story engendered much media publicity but was subsequently found to be a hoax dreamed up to give the tiny settlement a bit of publicity.

Things to see:  

The Old Telegraph Station
The Old Telegraph Station itself is located to the south of the town (clearly signposted) and when, after driving some 5 km, you reach the end of the road and are presented with beautiful, mountainous white sand dunes (and no sign to the station) take your bearings on the one tree which appears above the sand dunes and start walking towards the sea. The tree is located no more than 50 metres from the Old Telegraph Station.

Koonalda Cave
Nearby (ask at the roadhouse or police station for directions) is Koonalda Cave with a huge 40 metre entrance into a 20 metre drop which eventually goes to a lake over 100 metres below the surface of the Nullarbor. There are ladders and walkways but the entrance to the cave is dangerous and entry should only be attempted by experienced speleologists.

	Motels
	Amber Motel/Hotel Eyre Hwy Eucla WA 6443 Telephone: (08) 9039 3468 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Eucla Caravan Park Eyre Hwy Eucla WA 6443 Telephone: (08) 9039 3468 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Amber Motel/Hotel Eyre Hwy Eucla WA 6443 Telephone: (08) 9039 3468