1962

Over the past century, Bondi has been a telecommunications portal to the world with many swimmers oblivious to the large and essential cables buried underneath the sand. On 19 April, 1962, COMPAC cable - overseas telecommunications commission was installed at Bondi. In contrast with previous submarine cables this new type of strengthened coaxial cable incorporated amplifiers or repeaters at intervals of 26 miles across the Tasman. This was stage one of the Commonwealth Pacific Cable with an extension to Suva in Fiji, Hawaii and Vancouver BC in Canada. From the west coast of Canada it would extended by microwave to the Eastern States of Canada and then across to Britain and Europe via the trans-Atlantic cable. The Commonwealth Pacific Cable had 80 two-way voice channels and cost approximately 33 million pounds. The Australian ceremony for the opening of the trans-Tasman cable took place 9 July 1962 in the new 4-storey Overseas Telecommunications Terminal building in Paddington, Sydney. It was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Robert Menzies.

Images courtesy of the Waverley Library Local Studies Collection.