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Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM goes all Tarzan to restore internet

No conduit? No worries! We'll build an Internet of Trees!

PHOTOS Some time ago, this Vulture South hack had a not-uncommon experience: loss of broadband during a storm.

It wasn't water that killed things, but lightning: 130-plus metres of cable was scorched. The cable was direct-buried, meaning there was no convenient conduit through which a new cable could be dragged.

Telstra, to its credit, despatched a Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM to perform the unenviable task of burying a new cable, unless an alternative could be found.

What follows documents the Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM strategy.

By the way: the best camera is the one you have on hand. In this case, a slightly old smartphone was the handiest camera. Apologies for the lapses in quality.

Cable location indicated by spray paint

We know where the cable is, we marked it with paint on the leaf-litter …

The cable attached to a power pole

The new cable rises out of the ground

Attached to a tree

On the other side of the road, a handy tree provides an anchor

Cable is dragged through the bush

From there, it's dragged through the bush

Further through the bush

And further through the bush

Further through the bush

Gotta cross the road again, so we'll need altitude...

Crossing the road

Anchored ...

Termination point

... and into the pit.

Striking a chunk from the concrete to let the cable into the pit is, Vulture South thinks, a nice touch.

Vulture South has been told that this arrangement is temporary and that a Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM will one day return. Numerous reports suggest that visit could be many months away. We'll keep you posted. ®

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