Adelaide express to Melbourne

Black-and-white photograph of the 'Adelaide Express' travelling to Melbourne over the viaducts.

Postcards were developed in the 1890s and provided a cheaper method of communication than letters as postage was cheaper on postcards. The 'divided back' postcard format was introduced in Britain in 1902, where the message and recipient's address could be written on the one side, allowing the front of the card to be used completely for a picture. Postcards were immensely popular especially in an era when photography was an expensive hobby. The cards had attractive images and provided the space for a brief message. Note that on this unused postcard the postal rates can be seen and distinguish between Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and the rest of the world. The card also carries a note regarding the placement of the address if the addressee is to somewhere other than in Great Britain, the Commonwealth (Australia) and New Zealand.

The Adelaide Express (or Melbourne Express to South Australians) began operating in 1887. It was called the Overland from 1926. The viaducts for the railway lines in the Adelaide Hills crossed two steep gullies and were manufactured by an American company. These viaducts were criticised during their construction and even after they had been publicly tested on 18 August 1882, with a loaded train weighing nearly 200 tons. It was thought they would be too frail particularly for high speed trains.

The tunnels and viaducts served an important role on the main Adelaide to Melbourne railway line until 1919, when the Adelaide to Belair section was duplicated with a dual track system further east. The viaducts were dismantled in 1920. The old tunnels are still there and have been used variously for storing paintings from the Art Gallery of South Australia during World War II and later for growing mushrooms

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