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Cardwell Bush Telegraph is a heritage centre in Cardwell, Queensland. It operates in the Telegraph and Post Office building, built in 1870, and is one of the oldest buildings in North Queensland.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cardwell Post Office - Residence (former) )〕 The building operated as a post office until 1982. It was refurbished, conserved, branded “Cardwell Bush Telegraph”, and re-opened as a heritage centre on 28 February 2003. The heritage precinct also includes the former court house and jail, an area designated as a government reserve for much of the township's history. The precinct welcomes visitors and showcases the history of Cardwell and its significance to the surrounding area. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, and the Register of the National Estate〔()〕 of the Australian Heritage Commission. It is located at 53 Victoria Street, Cardwell, on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Balliol Street at the southern end of the town.〔 ==History== Cardwell was settled in 1864, the first port settlement on the Queensland coast north of Port Denison (Bowen). The first party of non-indigenous people to settle at Rockingham Bay arrived in January 1864. They were 20 in number and they came from Bowen on the small schooner Policeman with the three ton cutter Heather Bell in tow. After the establishment of Cardwell to serve the grazing properties inland, the township became a significant focus for the region. The telegraph line reached the town on 29 December 1869 and five days later the telegraph office opened.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cardwell Heritage Precinct )〕 The telegraph facilities at Cardwell were provided because the Government of Queensland hoped the connecting cable linking Australia to Asia and Europe by telegraph would be secured for the Gulf of Carpentaria from Java. However, in fact the cable was landed at Darwin not the Gulf. So the main purpose for which the Cardwell Telegraph Office and telegraph lines were built did not in fact materialise. The Telegraph Office was part of an administrative precinct which originally included a large Court and Customs House, Pilots' Quarters, Police Barracks and Lock-up, Lands Office, and a Police Magistrate's residence. The Divisional Board Hall was built next to the Post Office later, in 1892. Of this precinct, the intact Telegraph Office remains. The original Courthouse was demolished following a cyclone, but its 1890s replacement, constructed on a much smaller scale and a more recent Lock-up (gaol) dating from 1907 have been re-located to the rear of the adjacent block. That block also is the site of the former Divisional Board Hall, later the Shire Hall. Sadly, this hall was severely damaged in 2011 by Tropical Cyclone Yasi. It housed council’s museum at the time, which also suffered lost displays. However, the building was reconstructed closely to match its original timber appearance, with the stage area fortunately being retained within the rebuilt hall. The resulting historic precinct presents a fine example of the workings and economics of colonial administration over a large thinly populated area, and the nineteenth century technology that coped with it. The Telegraph Office building itself is also fascinating because of the depth of information preserved. Queensland State Archives and the Australian Archives yielded original specifications, plans, documents describing repairs and requirements and requests from staff for new chairs and a new clock, for example, allowing a good picture to be developed of the original construction of the building as well as changes it underwent through time. For example, originally it had a shingled roof and was set on low stumps with no ant caps but in response to the tropical climate, including cyclones and seasonal heavy rain, and white ants, the roof was replaced with iron and the building was lifted onto higher stumps with ant caps fitted. The building was a residence as well as a service outlet. The Postmaster was also Linesman-in-Charge, responsible for maintenance of the telegraph line in his sector. Often it was his wife as Postmistress and telegraph operator, who ran the office while her husband was away checking the line. As well as being significant in the history of the port of Cardwell, the Cardwell-Normanton telegraph line was a lifeline for the isolated people of this region. It provided contact with the rest of the world and encouraged development of the area. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cardwell Bush Telegraph」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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