The Flinders Telegraph Cable Complex and Pier is now included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). This unique location brings together a blend of historical, archaeological and social significance.

Founded in 1869, it was the site of the first submarine telegraph cable between Tasmania and Victoria. The State's first telegraph cable had been installed 15 years earlier, revolutionising communication. People no longer had to wait months for letters sent by ship. It was the information super-highway of its day.

The now demolished Flinders Post and Telegraph Office and Cable Station
Source: Private collection

Flinders' Kennon Cove was chosen because of its calm and sandy conditions. The cable buildings included huts on the beach and a cable station on the headland. Only the underground archaeology protected by the Heritage Act 2017 remains.

Section from engraving Laying of the Victorian end of the Tasmanian Cable, 1869
Source: State Library of Victoria

Amphibolis antarctica seagrass (aka Sea Nymph) grows in the area. This makes it the perfect habitat for seadragons. The common or weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, being Victoria’s state marine emblem.

The seadragons are protected by the Wildlife Act 1975. Since the late 1950s, scientists and the wider community have been studying the seadragons from the pier.

Flinders Cable Station complex and pier from the water, 1890-1910.
Source: Flinders District Historical Society

This tradition has social significance and is the other reason why the pier is now protected by the Heritage Act 2017.

Now, this historic site will be preserved and protected for years to come.

Page last updated: 06/06/23