The Dog Fence Longest fence in the world THE DOG FENCE (Dingo Fence) stretches 5300 kms across three states protecting Australia’s southwest sheep country from the ravages of the dingo, Australia’s native dog. The fence is an 1.8m unbroken barrier from the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight in South Australia, through northwest New South Wales and across Queensland, finishing abruptly in sight of the Bunya Mountains. It is the longest fence in the world, more than twice as long as the Great Wall of China and Western Australia’s rabbit- proof fence. The dingo (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus dingo) is a highly intelligent, inquisitive animal, is mostly golden in colour, sometimes with white points, but can also be black. It breeds only once a year (unlike dogs, which breed twice). Nor does it bark, but has a melodious howl, often heard at night in the Outback. They are found in mainland Australia, New Guinea and across much of Asia. The Australian dingo is a skilled predator which roams north of the fence. It’s diet is kangaroo and wallaby, small marsupials, rabbits, lizards, insects and anything it can scavenge. Both male and female dingoes raise their pups (litters from 2-6); the mother regurgitates food for them. When pups are three weeks old, they leave the den for short periods. Dingoes spend most of their life solitary, but sometimes travel in pairs or form small family groups. Aboriginal people prized the dingo which lived, ate and hunted with them. Dingoes (as well as dogs and cross- breeds) are still abundant in Aboriginal communities and feature in rock art and stories – the Pleiades constellation (or Seven Sisters) is depicted as a flock of kangaroos being chased by Orion’s two dingoes. When European settlers introduced sheep flocks, the dingo found an easy food source while mauling and killing more than needed for food. Subsequently individual land owners built wire netting vermin-proof fences around 104 Australia’s Explorers’ Way their properties to protect their sheep flocks. Post holes were dug by hand with crowbar and shovel in pre- mechanical days. These separate fences became linked into vermin-proof districts with over 30,000 miles of fences. Then after the war in 1946, the single dog fence was established and has since been maintained by the various states’ Dog Fence boards. The various sections of fence were patrolled by patrolmen on horseback or camels checking for breaks made by wildlife or washed away by rain. Traps and poison baits were used along the fence line and dingoes were shot. Patrolmen today use 4WD vehicles. Solar powered electric fencing is used in places and boxes emitting high frequency sound have been introduced. After heavy rain, kilometres of fence can be swept away and patrolmen must get there to fix it as soon as the boggy ground allows. In 1989, some 20,000 sheep were lost to dingoes when the fence in South Australia was washed away. The dog fence crosses the Stuart Highway and the Oodnadatta Track near Coober Pedy. Wider than usual cattle grids span the roads, and poison baiting, keeps dingoes from crossing into the south eastern sheep country. Dingoes also kill and eat cattle. On the stations around Coober Pedy, working cattle dogs are not used so cattle don’t become used to dogs, as the best protection for small calves, is its wary mother and other cattle. The Australian cattle dog, blue heeler and Australian kelpie have dingo strains. Whilst sheep graze in safety south of the Dog Fence, other effects are felt. It is thought that the wild bushfires that devastated much of Australia were far worse as the ground dwelling birds and small mammals that kept the undergrowth in check have been devastated by foxes and feral cats that are not kept in check by a bigger predator.
