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For some inexplicable reason, the South Australian and Queensland Railways used imported British fencing technology in many of the lineside fences erected between the 1860s and 1900. These fences are notable for massive cast iron straining pillars, heavy T-posts, and in some cases, stranded galvanised wire. While meandering along country roads in the Darling Downs of southern Queensland looking for interesting fences, I hit the jackpot: Morton's straining pillars. Francis Morton & Company Limited  Francis Morton established his iron works in Liverpool (England) some time before the 1860s. It operated as Francis Morton & Co. before being restructured on 1...

The internet is littered with videos peddling all sorts of advice, reviews and information on fencing. But like everything on the internet, it's a case of "use with care". So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff, or more apposite, how do you separate the sheep from the goats? One solution is to head to the Australian web site of Tim Thompson (https://timthompson.ag/). Who is Tim Thompson? Tim has spent over 20 years teaching agriculture including setting up small farm operations in high schools to engage the kids, get their hands dirty, and to teach them first-hand a...

One of the most rewarding experiences for me is visiting collectors who generously allow me to photograph their accumulated goodies. In return, I am often able to identify some of their unknown strainers, and provide the patent details. In early December 2022 while photographing strainers in a private collection, I found a strainer that I'd never seen (and I've seen and handled hundreds!), and one that has never been reported from Australia. In the same collection there was also a larger tool that appeared to be a chain wire strainer, but actually has a completely different purpose. The 2 in...

With rare exceptions, Australian rural fences are to limit movement of animals. But one fence was erected to limit wind - a wind fence. Sarah Island Less well-known than the penal settlement at Port Arthur, the eight hectares of Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour (Tasmania) were the site of a convict settlement from 1822 to 1833. Conditions - constant cold, windy and rainy weather exacerbated by poor accommodation and food - led to harsh discipline, and a well-deserved reputation as a hell-hole.  The island was cleared for the necessary barracks and administration buildings, and a ship-building yard. However this exposed...

Spirally-twisted steel posts are widely distributed across Australia, but are not particularly common. They date from the late 1920s, and a persistent rural myth is that they were screwed into the ground. There are both right-hand and left-hand spirals, but left-hand posts are much more common. What’s the story behind them? The post and the patents The Corkscrew Post is a steel post with a distinctive shallow H-shaped cross-section, spirally twisted into a corkscrew over most of its length. Three patents cover the post, and more importantly, the machines to make them: George David Watson (engineer, 14 Mayfair Street, Lower...