How to dial your phone by Bell System (1954):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuYPOC-gCGA

The grandkids, both in high school, were over on the weekend.
We were discussing Iphones and grandpa brought out the Black Bakelite Phone plugged it into an exchange line and challenged the kids to work out how to dial out and "ring " somebody.
The adults stood back and watched the fun.
Remember "Home in time" and the pouty girl coping with the office phone?
Same story, but they got there in the end. The break through was when one of them picked the handset up and THEN dialled.
They then rang that line from their dumbphones and were amazed again when it "rang".
The copper line is to the Pendle Hill exchange and still has a form of dial tone and ring pulses and accepted the pulse dialing ok.
I guess when the NBN is connected that will be the end of that.
Fred.

I guess when the NBN is connected that will be the end of that.

... unless you get one of these: https://www.dialgizmo.com/

I have a great old Bakelite wall phone from an old Pub in SA.
At my last house it was all connected up and working and a young boy about 12 yeaes old was visiting and he asked how do you use it?
He could not understand the Dial function or how that would work.
I still have the phone ,but ive never tried it in this house I'm in now, which is modern ,,well 20 years old so yep modern!

I still have the phone ,but ive never tried it in this house I'm in now, which is modern

If the phone itself is still in working condition it should operate fine on a standard copper line. You may need an adapter like this: https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-dde71/images/stencil/1280x1280/products...