Dear friends - especially those out East .... A question please for the historian experts. The date is (say) 1881. How would folks in Australia and New Zealand communicate with relatives back home in Ireland? And how would news items reported in (say) the New Zealand Herald find their way on to the pages of the Belfast Newsletter? My guess is via an old-fashioned physical postal service, real hard-copy letters mostly handwritten - rather than via some form of telegraph or telex. And also, how long would it typically take for news to travel? Any thoughts or views, actual examples? Any s uggestions highly appreciated. Warm regards Dave Mitchell Cape Town South Africa

Dave, The Australian Overland Telegraph was completed in 1872 allowing Australia to connect with the rest of the world. (Western Australia was eventually connected by 1877) Initially, messages were sent via Morse Code, but eventually included the spoken word. The telegraph would have carried news and maybe some urgent business and government communications; personal comms would be almost exclusively hand-written letters sent via ship. Telegrams were expensive in those days and transmitted via Morse Code. Families did use telegrams, but rarely and only for urgent, important stuff such as BM&D. Sailing times were coming down fast around 1880 due to steam travel. For instance, the /Orient/ made the journey from London to Adelaide via the Cape (of Good Hope), in 38 days in 1879. New Zealand connected to the Australian network, and hence internationally, in 1876. Remember, until 1841, NZ was part of the colony of New South Wales (Australia). Gordon Early Telegrams, and Morse Key. On 7/05/2022 10:32 pm, dm60--- via CoTyroneList wrote: > Dear friends - especially those out East .... > > A question please for the historian experts. > > The date is (say) 1881. > > How would folks in Australia and New Zealand communicate with relatives back home in Ireland? > > And how would news items reported in (say) the New Zealand Herald find their way on to the pages of the Belfast Newsletter? > > My guess is via an old-fashioned physical postal service, real hard-copy letters mostly handwritten - rather than via some form of telegraph or telex. > > And also, how long would it typically take for news to travel? > > Any thoughts or views, actual examples? Any s uggestions highly appreciated. > > Warm regards > > Dave Mitchell > Cape Town > South Africa > ================================= > Send a Message to the List -cotyronelist@list.cotyroneireland.com > List Archive -https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com > Join the list by sending an email to -cotyronelist-subscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com > To receive the Digest version, send an email to -cotyronelist-owner@list.cotyroneireland.com > Unsubscribe by sending an email to -cotyronelist-unsubscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com > =================================

Hello there Dave, The noted Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey writes on 1890s communication between the Australian colonies and Britain in “Black Kettle and Full Moon”. Mail was transported by mail steamers and flags were flown from the towers of post offices in the main cities upon the arrival of the fortnightly and monthly steamer from England. The mail contained not only letters and parcels, but substantial quantities of newspapers from all over Britain. Such was also the situation with relaying news back home from the colonies. Many marriages and deaths announcements contained in daily colonial newspapers contained the request “home papers please copy”. News from the colonies was eagerly sought by the readers back in Britain and many items were syndicated and reprinted in many newspapers in England, Scotland and Ireland. It would never have occurred to the man in the street to report a family event by telegram; such news would have been relayed by letter and enclosing the cutting from the local newspaper. Stay well, Len Swindley ________________________________ From: Gordon Wilkinson via CoTyroneList <cotyronelist@list.cotyroneireland.com> Sent: Sunday, 8 May 2022 11:15 AM To: dm60--- via CoTyroneList <cotyronelist@list.cotyroneireland.com> Cc: Gordon Wilkinson <neredon@ozemail.com.au> Subject: [CoTyroneMailingList] Re: 1881 -- Communication with Australia and New Zealand Dave, The Australian Overland Telegraph was completed in 1872 allowing Australia to connect with the rest of the world. (Western Australia was eventually connected by 1877) Initially, messages were sent via Morse Code, but eventually included the spoken word. The telegraph would have carried news and maybe some urgent business and government communications; personal comms would be almost exclusively hand-written letters sent via ship. Telegrams were expensive in those days and transmitted via Morse Code. Families did use telegrams, but rarely and only for urgent, important stuff such as BM&D. Sailing times were coming down fast around 1880 due to steam travel. For instance, the Orient made the journey from London to Adelaide via the Cape (of Good Hope), in 38 days in 1879. New Zealand connected to the Australian network, and hence internationally, in 1876. Remember, until 1841, NZ was part of the colony of New South Wales (Australia). Gordon Early Telegrams, and Morse Key. [cid:part1.jbdD0N4Y.05j5IXIA@ozemail.com.au] On 7/05/2022 10:32 pm, dm60--- via CoTyroneList wrote: Dear friends - especially those out East .... A question please for the historian experts. The date is (say) 1881. How would folks in Australia and New Zealand communicate with relatives back home in Ireland? And how would news items reported in (say) the New Zealand Herald find their way on to the pages of the Belfast Newsletter? My guess is via an old-fashioned physical postal service, real hard-copy letters mostly handwritten - rather than via some form of telegraph or telex. And also, how long would it typically take for news to travel? Any thoughts or views, actual examples? Any s uggestions highly appreciated. Warm regards Dave Mitchell Cape Town South Africa ================================= Send a Message to the List - cotyronelist@list.cotyroneireland.com<mailto:cotyronelist@list.cotyroneireland.com> List Archive - https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com Join the list by sending an email to - cotyronelist-subscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com<mailto:cotyronelist-subscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com> To receive the Digest version, send an email to - cotyronelist-owner@list.cotyroneireland.com<mailto:cotyronelist-owner@list.cotyroneireland.com> Unsubscribe by sending an email to - cotyronelist-unsubscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com<mailto:cotyronelist-unsubscribe@list.cotyroneireland.com> =================================