The Truth About The Telegraph

Hailed as a triumph of technology that connected Australia to the world, the Overland Telegraph Line and the communities of settlers it introduced was a significant frontier in the colonisation of Australia. Directed by Kieran Mpetyane Satour, “The Truth About the Telegraph” delves into the disruptions caused by the Telegraph Line through the stories of Kaytetye and Warumungu peoples and their encounters with the stations as sites of an originary frontier violence. Placed in the heart of Central Australia, the film transports viewers beyond a colonial history determined by settlers and their exploitation through marking Country with wires and poles. It reveals a complex tapestry of testimony that unearths a narrative of cultural displacement, resilience, enduring connection to Country and survival in the face of rapid societal shifts.