Telstra Tower was officially opened on May 15, 1980, by the then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. Built on the summit of Black Mountain Canberra, it soon became known to the locals as Black Mountain Tower. The Tower saga started in April 1970 when Telecom asked the Department of Housing and Construction to carry out a feasibility study in relation to a tower on Black Mountain, accommodating both communication services and facilities for visitors. Apart from being important as the transmitting station for Canberra television services and FM broadcasting services, Telstra Tower is a key station in trunk communications for Canberra. It is also important in respect of television relaying, catering for up to 5 simultaneous interstate relays as well as national regional relays from Sydney and Melbourne and relays originating in Canberra.
