The longest fence in the world, Australia's Dingo Fence, was originally erected to keep out which animals?

Australia holds many world records, including the world’s longest fence, the dingo fence.

At 5,531 km (3437 miles), the dingo barrier fence stretches from eastern Queensland all the way to the South Australian coastline. The fence was erected in the late 1800s and early 1900s to protect cropland from rabbits. It was later modified to protect livestock, particularly sheep, from dingoes.

The dingo fence is still actively maintained. A levy is charged to graziers to fund wages for maintenance and patrol workers. In Queensland, the Wild Dog Barrier Fence Panel provides administrative assistance, as does the Wild Dog Destruction Board in New South Wales.

The dingo fence has stirred a long-running scientific debate about whether the exclusion of dingoes has a detrimental effect on ecosystems. One argument is that dingoes can keep in check smaller predators such as invasive red foxes and feral cats, in turn benefiting native species by reducing overall predation pressure upon them.

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18 Comments

billyboy915

Rabbits are not native to Australia. They were introduced by European settlers as food animals and for sport hunting. Explanation Rabbits are native to Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, France, Gibraltar, and northwest Africa. The first rabbits were brought to Australia by the First Fleet. The first wild rabbits were recorded in Tasmania in the early 1800s. In 1859, Thomas Austin released 13 English rabbits on his estate in Barwon Park, near Geelong. By the 1920s, rabbits had colonized most of the southern half of Australia. Rabbits are a major agricultural and environmental pest in Australia. They eat crops and pasture, compete with native animals, and cause soil erosion. They prevent the regeneration of native vegetation. They have had a major impact on Australia's soil, waterways, and native plant and animal diversity. Control Experts are working to control the rabbit population.

Joy Holbrook

To those commenting about the movie The Rabbit Proof Fence, I have two things to say: 1. My nephew was the head of the construction crew. 2. The actual story was nothing short of propaganda. Sure SOME Aborigines were treated badly by SOME white people, but those saying ‘we’ were responsible for ill treatment is laughable. And before you cry ‘racist’, I’m related by skin to a mob in the Alice Springs area.

Leapy Lee

Sally Onyett, different fence

Leapy Lee

Dog001, actually the original purpose was to keep rabbits out, but very quickly they realised it wasn’t working, so they raised the height and it became the dingo fence.

Leapy Lee

Denise Currie, it isnt. That fence is in WA. The fence referred to in this question starts in SA and winds across the continent to Queensland.

Iriss Blaine

The fence was constructed to keep Dingoes away from sheep. Rabbit-proof was just a coincidence.

lls

Denise Currie, ...we saw it, too...what a heartbreaking movie...but, it was very clear about stressing the gulf between the cultures....

Richard D. Boyle

The Dingo Fence constructed in 1885 is, at 3500 miles, the longest fence in the world. The Rabbit Proof Fence in Western Australia, is a separate fence and only 2000 miles long. It was built in 1907. Of course it makes perfect sense that a fence originally built to control rabbits would be called the Dingo Fence. Thanks so much for clearing that up for us MC. Really appreciate it.

Denise Currie

Sally Onyett, Saw that too, the way they were treated was dreadful, this film stuck with me for a long time after seeing it

Denise Currie

I watched a film many years ago called The Rabbit-Proof Fence, it really stayed with me, it was more about how the Native Australians were treated (badly) but I assumed this was the fence mentioned in the question.