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Rabbit proof fence
The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral areas.
Contents
- Rabbit proof fence
- Rabbit proof fence australia 2002
- History
- Construction
- Maintenance
- Intersection with railway system
- Elsewhere in Australia
- References
There are three fences in Western Australia: the original No. 1 Fence crosses the state from north to south, No. 2 Fence is smaller and further west, and No. 3 Fence is smaller still and runs east–west. The fences took six years to build. When completed in 1907, the rabbit-proof fence (including all three fences) stretched 2,023 miles (3,256 km). The cost to build the fences at the time was about £167 per mile ($250/km).
When it was completed in 1907, the 1,139-mile (1,833 km) No. 1 Fence was the longest unbroken fence in the world. It has been claimed that the fence is visible from space; however, similar claims about the larger Great Wall of China have been debunked by NASA.
Rabbit proof fence australia 2002
History
Rabbits were first introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788 and they became a problem when Thomas Austin released 24 wild rabbits for hunting purposes in October 1859, saying that "the introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting."
The rabbits were extremely prolific creatures and spread rapidly across the southern parts of the country. Australia had ideal conditions for a rabbit population explosion.
By 1887, losses from rabbit damage compelled the New South Wales Government to offer a £25,000 reward for "any method of success not previously known in the Colony for the effectual extermination of rabbits". A Royal Commission was held to investigate the situation in 1901.
Construction
The fence posts are placed 12 ft (3.7 m) apart, and have a minimum diameter of 4 in (100 mm). There were initially three wires of 12½ gauge placed at 4 in (100 mm), 1 ft 8 in (0.51 m), and 3 ft (0.91 m) above ground, with a barbed wire added later at 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) and a plain wire at 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m) to make the fence a barrier for dingoes and foxes as well. Wire netting was placed on this, which extended to 6 in (150 mm) below ground.
The fence was constructed with a variety of materials, according to the local climate and availability of wood. At first salmon gum and gimlet tree wood were used, although these attracted termites (locally known as white ants) and had to be replaced. Split white gum was one of the best types of wood used in the fence. Others used were mulga, wodjil, pine, and tea tree, based on what wood could be found close to where the fence was to be built. Iron was used in parts where there was no wood.
From 1901 the fence was constructed by private contractors, but in 1904 the project became the responsibility of the Public Works Department of Western Australia, under the supervision of Richard John Anketell. With a workforce of 120 men, 350 camels, 210 horses and 41 donkeys, Anketell was responsible for the construction of the greater part of No. 1 Fence and the survey of its last 70 miles.
Maintenance
Alexander Crawford took over the maintenance of the fence from Anketell as each section was finished and remained in charge until he retired in 1922. The area inside the fence to the west became known as "Crawford's Paddock". The fence was maintained at first by boundary riders riding bicycles and later by riders astride camels. However, fence inspection was difficult from atop the tall animal. In 1910, a car was bought for fence inspection, but it was subject to punctured tyres. It was found the best way to inspect the fence was using buckboard buggies, pulled by two camels.
The camels were used as pack animals, especially in the north, while in the south, camels were used to pull drays with supplies for the riders. Camels were ideal for this as they could go for a long time without water, and it has been suggested that the fence could not have been built or maintained without the use of camels.
In addition to Crawford, there were four sub-inspectors, each responsible for about 500 miles (800 km) of fence, and 25 boundary riders who regularly patrolled 100-mile (160 km) sections of fence. Due to frontier violence in the north of the state, a 300-mile (480 km) section of No. 1 Fence was patrolled by riders in pairs.
Crawford was responsible for eliminating rabbits which had breached the fence. In the first year following the fences' completion, rabbit colonies were found and destroyed at several locations inside the fence, including sites near Coorow, Mullewa, and Northampton.
Following the introduction of myxomatosis to control rabbits in the 1950s, the importance of the rabbit-proof fence diminished.
Intersection with railway system
No. 1 Fence intersected the railway lines at:
No. 2 Fence intersected with most of the Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia.
Elsewhere in Australia
There is a rabbit-proof fence in Queensland.