As I was going through some photo's of my trip up to North Queensland and the Northern Territory in 2008 I began pondering whereabouts the Memorial to Sir Charles Todd was as many will well know It can be a long time between drinks on the Stuart Highway, so as you do I googeled it and this is what I came across, which I didn't know, that Sir Charles Todd was an Astronomer
On these LLooong Drives you see something of interest, you stop, read what it says , take some pictures then of you go for another few hours till the next place of interest
Nearest Centre North:
Katherine 344km
Nearest Centre South:
Tennant Creek 326km
Nearest stop North:
Alexander Forrest Memorial 125km
Nearest stop South:
Newcastle Waters 52km
TODD, Sir CHARLES (1826-1910), astronomer, meteorologist and electrical engineer, was born on 7 July 1826 at Islington, London, second son of
Griffith Todd, grocer and tea merchant of Greenwich. Educated locally he was appointed to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, as a supernumerary computer in 1841; he showed ability in mathematics and potential as an observer. As junior assistant to Professor Challis at the Cambridge university observatory in 1848-54 he assisted in the determination of longitude between the Cambridge and Greenwich observatories by telegraphic means. Early in 1854 he returned to Greenwich as superintendent of the galvanic apparatus for the transmission of time signals. This involved close co-operation with the Electric Telegraph Co., and also with C. V. Walker, electrical engineer to the South Eastern Railway, who was one of the pioneer experimenters with submarine cables. Todd became fascinated with telecommunications. In 1855 the South Australian government requested Sir George Airy, the astronomer royal, to select an observer and superintendent of electric telegraph at a salary of £400; he nominated Todd, who was appointed on 10 February. He reached Port
Adelaide in the Irene on 4 November.
Rod
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...526#post596526
When your on your way to Darwin, stop at this memorial to a fellow Astronomer who did Great things for Australia and it's Communications
with the rest of the world
