News — Australian rural fence

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...

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...