Place Names Register Extract

Todd River

Extract date: 16/04/2024

Name Todd River
Type Designation Stream
Place Id 19020
Place Type Feature
Status Recorded
Date Registered
Location (Datum GDA94)  
Latitude: -24° 29' S (Decimal degrees -24.489668)
Longitude: 135° 32' E (Decimal degrees 135.533736)
Locality / Suburb  
  Ghan
  Hale
Local Government Area  
  MacDonnell Shire Council
History/Origin Named after Charles (later Sir Charles) Todd, Postmaster General of South Australia, who was largely responsible for the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line.

Sir Charles Todd (1826 - 1910) was born in Islington, London. He arrived with his wife Alice in Glenelg, South Australia, on 4 November 1855 to take up the post of Observer and Superintendent of Telegraphs in South Australia, responsible for the equipping of the new Adelaide Observatory. Whilst responsible as Post Master General for many ventures such as the setting up and supervision of a network of meteorological stations and the design and construction of a number of major telegraph lines connecting Adelaide to outlying areas then Melbourne and Sydney, it is as Superintendent of the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line that Todd is most famous. Running from Adelaide to Darwin and connecting Australia to Europe by way of a submarine cable, this tremendous feat was completed on 22 August 1872 with the first messages between London and Adelaide being exchanged on 22 October 1872.

Register & Gazettal information

Date Gazettal Comment
  (None Found)  

The Northern Territory Gazetteer is maintained by the Place Names Section,
Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics.
GPO Box 1680, Darwin NT 0801. Ph 08 8995 5333.
place.names@nt.gov.au

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