Southern Signals
Stories of innovation, challenge and triumph in Australia’s communication history
From sea-stained dispatches to data sent back from deep space, Southern Signals is the story of Australia’s use of communications to bridge vast distances through war and peace, exploration and growth.
Communications have been vital at every stage of Australia’s history. From the time the First Fleet transport ship Prince of Wales limped back into port eight months after leaving Sydney Cove, to the breakneck rush during the 1970 Apollo 13 crisis to bring Parkes’ famous radio telescope on line, this book shows how adoption (or not) of emerging communication technologies has influenced key events, and formed the. backbone of Australia’s development as a society and relationship with the world.
Chapter topics include: dispatching mail to Britain from a convict colony, and then around a big country; the arrival of telegraph, telephone, and television; wireless radio and Antarctic exploration; wireless radio entering Australian homes; the coming of airmail; Australia’s role in televising the moon landing; communications in search and rescue, Australian newspapers; the internet and the opportunities and risks of the future.
Hugh Tranter is a Sydney-based researcher and author, who enjoys unearthing stories through old newspapers, letters and accounts. He became interested in communication technology and its history through his father’s collection of old radios and records, including a bulky, antique radiogram — once cutting-edge technology — kept in the family lounge room. Hugh has studied history, law and creative writing, and written for a range of publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, the online Dictionary of Sydney, Beachcombing Magazine and History, the magazine of the Royal Australian Historical Society.
