Working on the Rabbit Proof Fence
Completed in 1907, the fence was designed to keep the pastoral areas of Western Australia free from rabbits and other vermin. It was built in 3 sections, and covered over 3000 kilometres starting near Esperence on the South Coast and ending at Cape Keraudin in the far north-west.
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| Camels turn-out at government Camel Station. National Library
of Australia pic-an9897467-7 |
Maintaining the fence became a full time occupation for some. Known
as boundary riders (or fence runners) the men kept themselves busy
cutting scrub, filling holes, and replacing broken wire and posts.
At first they used bicycles for transport, but constant punctures
forced a re-think, and soon it was common practice to use camels
and a dray.
The work was laborious and, for the most part, quite lonely. Occasionally, prospectors would travel along the fence, taking advantage of such a long, straight, clearing from one end of the State to the other. In the summer months it was unbearably dry and hot, so huts were constructed every thirty miles, offering shelter, soak wells and water tanks.
During the Great Depression work all but dried up. Unemployment rose to over 30% and, for many men, trapping rabbits and dingoes was the only way to survive. The outback was notoriously unforgiving, so most men would work in pairs. Having a “mate” was akin to a modern day diving buddy.
Itinerant workers were common place during this period. It was a hand to mouth existence. Men would come and go with regularity, so keeping track of people’s whereabouts was not easy.