Telegraph and Communications, Published 11 July 2026
Before smartphones, before Google… there was the SPEAKING CLOCK!
Ever wonder how Queenslanders checked the exact time before digital clocks and smartphones?
You simply picked up the phone and dialled 1194
“At the third stroke, it will be…”
And just like that, you had the official time delivered straight through your telephone.
Introduced across Australia in 1953 by the Postmaster-General’s Department, the Speaking Clock became one of the nation’s most familiar telephone services.
The original system used rotating glass discs containing recorded voice segments, with the famous voice of ABC broadcaster Gordon Gow announcing the time. In 1990, the system was modernised and the voice many Australians remember was that of broadcaster Richard Peach.
For generations of Queenslanders, 1194 was part of everyday life:
Checking the kitchen clock
Setting watches
Settling arguments over the correct time
The familiar “At the third stroke…” continued for 66 years until the service was switched off in 2019, bringing an end to one of Australia’s most loved pieces of telecommunications history.
From rotary phones to smartphones, the Speaking Clock remains a reminder of a time when technology had a voice.
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