Everything about The Dingo Fence totally explained
The
Dingo Fence or
Dog Fence is a
pest-exclusion fence that was built in
Australia during the 1880s and finished in
1885, to keep
dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they'd largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern
Queensland. It is one of the longest structures on the planet, and the world's longest fence. It would eventually stretch from
Jimbour on the
Darling Downs near
Dalby through thousands of miles of arid country to the
Eyre peninsula on the
Great Australian Bight. It was only partly successful; Dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states to this day, and although the fence helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this was counterbalanced by increased pasture competition from
rabbits and
kangaroos.
Geography
The section of the fence in Queensland is also known as the
Barrier Fence or
Wild Dog Barrier Fence. It is administered by the
Department of Natural Resources and Water. The Wild Dog Barrier Fence staff has 23 employees, with two person teams which patrol a section of the fence once every week. There are depots at
Quilpie and
Roma.
It joins the
Border Fence in
New South Wales, where it stretches for along Latitude 29. The fence passes the point where the three states of
Queensland, New South Wales and
South Australia meet (
Cameron's corner), where there's a brass plate on the survey monument. It is known as the Dog Fence in South Australia, which is long.
Physical design
The fence is high made of wire mesh, and extends for underground. The fence line on both sides is cleared to a width.
Star pickets are spaced every . At first it was unsuccessfully used to try and keep out rabbits, with the fence built originally as a
rabbit proof fence in
1884. It was more successful at keeping out
pigs,
kangaroos,
emus and
brumbies. In
1914 it was converted into a dog-proof fence.
Parts of the Dingo Fence are lit at night by
cold cathode fluorescent lamps which are alternately red and white. They are powered by long life batteries which are charged by
photovoltaic cells during the day.
The fence is held together by
Gripples.
Environmental impact
It seems that there are fewer kangaroos and emus on the north western side of the fence where the dingoes are, suggesting that the dingoes' presence has an impact on the populations of those animals.
It has also been suggested that the larger kangaroo populations inside the fence have been caused by the lack of dingo predation, and competition for food leads to lower sheep stocking rates than would be possible without the fence.
Journalist
James Woodford travelled along the fence and wrote an account of his trip called "The Dog Fence."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dingo Fence'.
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