Old ghost towns, historic
ruins, remnants of telegraph poles, a lonely
grave; all in a pristine eastern goldfields
woodlands, gives the traveller many opportunities to tune into days gone by, to marvel at the hardships endured by our early prospectors and telegraph line workers and enjoy the natural beauty of the bush.
This trek follows a section of the
Overland Telegraph line between
Dundas and the Balladonia telegraph station. Most of the telegraph poles and wire have disappeared, although some have been used on local stations for fencing etc. Here and there, the odd
telegraph pole or at least the base of telegraph poles can still be seen. The service track is clearly visible and provides access to the sites of various linesmen camps,
granite rocks and salt lakes.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
The
Dundas Norseman end of this trek is in Salmon Gum and Gimlet country i.e. typical WA goldfields
woodlands. Many scenic salt lakes and
granite rocks are passed on this trek, providing interesting vistas and opportunities to get out of your vehicle and walk around.
History
This branch of the
overland telegraph line was built in 1896 to provide additional telegraph
services as a result of the WA’s gold rushes in the 1890's. This line ran off from the
Coolgardie to
Esperance telegraph line at
Dundas and went across to Balladonia and then
Eucla. The line was in use until 1927 when another line, with greater capacity, was built following the Trans Australian Railway.
Norseman was named by
Lawrence S. Sinclair in July 1894 after his horse
Norseman. Legend has it that a nugget became trapped in his horse’s shoe, resulting in the gold strike.
Dundas is an abandoned goldfields townsite some 21 km south of
Norseman. It was gazetted in 24th May 1895. The name was taken from the nearby
Dundas Hills named by Surveyor General J S Roe in 1848 after Captain
Dundas of the Royal Navy ship HMS Tagus.
Balladonia is the name of a
rock at the site. It was originally named Ballajuinya on 8th August 1879 by
John & Stephen Ponton; this was corrupted to Balladungea and later Balladonia.
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