A national scheme of Salmonella surveillance emerged in Australia as a direct result of high-profile outbreaks in 1977. A typing laboratory in Victoria put together a working model using the computer technology available at the time. The evolving information-gathering system has stood the test of time and has provided an invaluable bank of information covering isolations from humans and other sources. The databases have been used effectively in detecting trends and outbreaks and have assisted in the solution of public health problems--even extending internationally. The way in which this has been done and the lessons learned are described.