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.