Melbourne Telephone Exchange Company

The Melbourne Telephone Exchange Company operated Australia's first telephone exchange. The exchange was located at 367 Collins Street. It commenced operation in August 1880. H.B.Moore was the first manager. W.H. Masters and T.T. Draper were the owners of the company. It later became the Victorian Telephone Exchange Company. Private ownership continued until 1887, when it was bought out by the Victorian Colonial Government. In the first year it had 23 subscribers but by 1887 it had 887 subscribers

James Trackson, an electrical engineer, trained at the London Polytechnic, was sent out to install the Melbourne Telephone Exchange. He arrived on the Copernicus in December 1883. He was 25 years of age. James Trackson was the son of James Trackson and Elizabeth and was born in December qtr 1857 at Heigham, Norwich and died 6 November 1941, Toowoomba. Later he was engaged by the Queensland Government for two years to assist in erecting Brisbane's first exchange. In 1885 he started, with his brother William, Trackson Brothers, an important early electrical firm in Brisbane. Many photos of his life are available include his early automobiles.[1]