Unworldly celebrity? : Sir Charles Todd's centennial challenge

Sir Charles Todd, the legendary builder of the Overland Telegraph Line linking Australia to the outside world in 1872, remains a subject of keen interest in view of his historic contribution to Australian communications. At the same time, Todd’s personal motivation, capacities and exceptional colonial career remain obscure and demand a fuller biographical study. Accordingly, this article argues for a wider understanding of Todd, grounded in his British as well as colonial experience. Rather than focusing on a single event, it identifies the institutions of science, civil service and the family along with the media, over which he exerted ongoing influence, as starting points for a long-awaited biography.