Public telephones
Another area of interest in Australian telephony is public phones (also known as payphones). Public phones in Australia are diminishing but according to the "Universal Service Obligation" Telstra is still legally obliged to maintain the service. See: here. More recently Telstra confirmed their commitment to maintaining payphone services here.
In August 2021 Telstra advised that payphones were now free. This was a logical move as the cost of coin collection, maintenance etc must have far exceeded the call income.
https://exchange.telstra.com.au/why-were-making-payphones-free-for-calls-around-australia/?fbclid=IwAR3zxoKp7_h38_W2U32VG-nDo_ufX2TN13nZaaVA8nkoFPY6XuzWiK18ZCM
The history of public/pay phones in Australia is significant. Some good references are:
http://publicphone.tripod.com/phone.html
http://www.telephonecollecting.org/Bobs%20phones/Pages/AustPostOffice/Payphones.htm
http://redtelephonebox.net/
http://www.redphone.com.au/
Another area of interest in Australian telephony is public phones (also known as payphones). Public phones in Australia are diminishing but according to the "Universal Service Obligation" Telstra is still legally obliged to maintain the service. See: here. More recently Telstra confirmed their commitment to maintaining payphone services here.
In August 2021 Telstra advised that payphones were now free. This was a logical move as the cost of coin collection, maintenance etc must have far exceeded the call income.
https://exchange.telstra.com.au/why-were-making-payphones-free-for-calls-around-australia/?fbclid=IwAR3zxoKp7_h38_W2U32VG-nDo_ufX2TN13nZaaVA8nkoFPY6XuzWiK18ZCM
The history of public/pay phones in Australia is significant. Some good references are:
http://publicphone.tripod.com/phone.html
http://www.telephonecollecting.org/Bobs%20phones/Pages/AustPostOffice/Payphones.htm
http://redtelephonebox.net/
http://www.redphone.com.au/
Principles of public telephones
The general operating principles of early public telephones are described in this old PMG technical publication. Click download file to open the PDF.
The general operating principles of early public telephones are described in this old PMG technical publication. Click download file to open the PDF.
pt_princ.pdf | |
File Size: | 5021 kb |
File Type: |
John's Phone Box
Ii is an early "Tasman Flag" model I purchased during 2020 as a pandemic project. It was almost complete but in very poor condition. I presume it was imported into WA from the east as it was made from some type of pine and WA's termites loved it. They'd eaten their way through many of the main timbers and completely destroyed the ceiling timbers. I estimate I replaced about 2/3 of the timber during restoration.
In the summer of 2021, I dismantled and rebuilt it and had it in place by the Autumn of 2021. At present there is an early Long Tom phone in the shed awaiting restoration and installation.
The various historical colour schemes of the box were uncovered during restoration. It its last life, before I got it, someone was obviously a Dr Who fan and painted it blue. Inside it was light green with dark stippling.
Stripping back the decades of repaints, there was an earlier stippled darker green layer, then a black stippled red layer and then, the very earliest, plain red. Interestingly the "telephone" labels on the glass were sand-blasted rather than the later painted or pasted-on decals. This model box first appeared in 1933 and by 1956 was obsolescent so in my opinion, this is an early one, maybe around 1940? I repainted it all in red, its earliest colour scheme.
Ii is an early "Tasman Flag" model I purchased during 2020 as a pandemic project. It was almost complete but in very poor condition. I presume it was imported into WA from the east as it was made from some type of pine and WA's termites loved it. They'd eaten their way through many of the main timbers and completely destroyed the ceiling timbers. I estimate I replaced about 2/3 of the timber during restoration.
In the summer of 2021, I dismantled and rebuilt it and had it in place by the Autumn of 2021. At present there is an early Long Tom phone in the shed awaiting restoration and installation.
The various historical colour schemes of the box were uncovered during restoration. It its last life, before I got it, someone was obviously a Dr Who fan and painted it blue. Inside it was light green with dark stippling.
Stripping back the decades of repaints, there was an earlier stippled darker green layer, then a black stippled red layer and then, the very earliest, plain red. Interestingly the "telephone" labels on the glass were sand-blasted rather than the later painted or pasted-on decals. This model box first appeared in 1933 and by 1956 was obsolescent so in my opinion, this is an early one, maybe around 1940? I repainted it all in red, its earliest colour scheme.