In the late 19th century, Bundaberg’s strategic location on the Australian coast made it the ideal site for a ground-breaking technological advancement that would connect the nation to the world.
Selected by the French, Queensland, and New South Wales Governments, Bundaberg became the landing point for an undersea telegraph cable that linked Australia with Britain and Europe through a network spanning the Pacific.
This historic connection, established in 1893, came ashore at Mon Repos and was a pivotal moment in global communication.
The area has been highlighted in Bundaberg Regional Council’s Register of Local Heritage Places.
The cable was connected to the Bundaberg Post Office after the Post and Telegraph Department annexed 50 acres (20.2 hectares) from the Pasturage Reserve for the station.
It remained the key to communication until it was replaced in the 1920s by a radio service through Sydney and the building (former cable house) was subsequently demolished.
In July 1945, the cable was used by divers in midget submarines to practise cable severance before operations to cut underwater telephone cables to Tokyo.
The midget submarines operated from the Bonadventure, which was anchored off the mouth of the Burnett River.
Two lieutenants, Lt Bruce Enzer and Lt Bruce Carey, died during this practice.
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