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Rabbit-proof fence

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39-690: The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia , formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence , the State Vermin Fence , and the Emu Fence , is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits , and other agricultural pests from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral areas. There are three fences in Western Australia: the original No. 1 Fence crosses the state from north to south, No. 2 Fence

78-465: A milk wagon . Tank wagons carried liquid cargoes. Water wagons delivered to areas without piped water and for military camp use. In the early 1900s, the American street flusher used a gas-powered pump to clean city streets of litter or mud, and to wet down dust in dry seasons. Liquid manure wagons were low tank vehicles for spreading manure on fields in the 1860s-1900s. Oil wagons operated from

117-414: A " teamster ", a " bullocky " (Australia), a " muleteer ", or simply a "driver". Wagons have served numerous purposes, with numerous corresponding designs. As with motorized vehicles, some are designed to serve as many functions as possible, while others are highly specialized. The exact name and terminology used are often dependent on the design or shape of the wagon. If low and sideless it may be called

156-552: A barbed wire added later at 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) and a plain wire at 3 ft 7 in (1.1 m), to make the fence a barrier against dingoes and foxes as well. Wire netting, extending 6 in (150 mm) below ground, was attached to the wire. The fence was constructed with a variety of materials, according to the local climate and availability of wood . At first, fence posts were made from salmon gum and gimlet , but they attracted termites (locally known as white ants) and had to be replaced. Split white gum

195-775: A book about this called Murder on the Rabbit Proof Fence: The Strange Case of Arthur Upfield and Snowy Rowles (1993). The events are now referred to as the Murchison Murders . Doris Pilkington Garimara 's book, Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence (1996), describes how three Indigenous Australian girls used the fence to guide their route back home from Moore River Native Settlement to Jigalong . The girls, taken from their families in Western Australia as part of

234-416: A dray, trolley or float . When traveling over long distances and periods, wagons may be covered with cloth to protect their contents from the elements; these are " covered wagons ". If it has high sides, with or without a permanent top, it may be called a " van ". A wagon might be unsprung if ordinarily used over rough ground or cobbles. A front axle assembly , in its simplest form, is an assembly of

273-497: A driver's seat or bench, leaving the driver to walk alongside the wagon or ride atop of one of the horses. Many freight wagons had a "lazyboard," a plank that could be pulled out for sitting upon then pushed back when not needed. In America, lazyboards were located on the left side and close to the brake because wagons were steered from the left side. In the United States and Canada, the large, heavily built Conestoga wagon

312-427: A fence's height, depth under the ground and mesh size. It is also important to choose a construction material that cannot be climbed; furthermore, sometimes it is necessary to create a subsurface fencing element to prevent burrowing under the fence. Fences are usually designed with the target pest species (the species to be excluded) in mind, and the fences are made to effectively exclude those species. This results in

351-428: A fictional story that explored a way of disposing of a body in the desert. Before the book was published, stockman Snowy Rowles, an acquaintance of the writer, carried out at least two murders and disposed of the bodies using the method described in the book. The 1932 trial that followed the arrest of Rowles for murder was one of the most sensational in the history of Western Australia. Decades later, Terry Walker wrote

390-536: A short beam with a pivot plate, two wagon wheels and spindles as well as a drawbar attached to this. A pin attaches the device to a chariot , a wagon or a coach , making the turning radius smaller. Farm wagons are built for general multi-purpose usage in an agricultural or rural setting. These include gathering hay , crops and wood , and delivering them to the farmstead or market . Wagons can also be pulled with tractors for easy transportation of those materials. A common form found throughout Europe

429-406: A two-wheeled "haywain" would be a hay cart, as opposed to a carriage. Wain is also an archaic term for a chariot. Wain can also be a verb, to carry or deliver, and has other meanings. Contemporary or modern animal-drawn wagons may be of metal instead of wood and have regular wheels with rubber tires instead of traditional wagon wheels. A person who drives wagons is called a "wagoner",

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468-545: A wide variety of designs for pest exclusion fences (see examples below). Often the fence is encircled in electric wire to ensure that animals can not climb over the fence. Australia has utilised exclusion fencing since the 1860s. The most well known exclusion fences in Australia are the barrier fences. Barrier fences are long (usually linear) barriers erected for the purpose of excluding particular species from large portions of Australia. The most well known barrier fences are

507-622: Is Arid Recovery in South Australia, where feral cat , red fox and rabbit have been removed for the conservation of 5 threatened species. Prior to human settlement New Zealand had no land-based mammals apart from three bat species. The introduced mammal species, such as rabbits, deer, and possum, have since caused huge ecological changes to the biota of New Zealand. Pest-exclusion fences are increasingly used for conservation of indigenous species by excluding all mammals. Locations of predator-proof fences include: Deer-proof fencing

546-406: Is smaller and further west, and No. 3 Fence is smaller still and runs east–west. The fences took six years to build. When completed, the rabbit-proof fence (including all three fences) stretched 2,023 miles (3,256 km). The cost to build each kilometre of fence at the time was about $ 250 (equivalent to $ 42,000 in 2022). When it was completed in 1907, the 1,139-mile (1,833 km) No. 1 Fence

585-477: Is the ladder wagon  [ de ] , a large wagon the sides of which often consisted of ladders strapped in place to hold in hay or grain , though these could be removed to serve other needs. A common type of farm wagon particular to North America is the buckboard . Freight wagons were used for the overland hauling of freight and bulk commodities. They were not designed for transporting people and were not built for comfort. Many were constructed without

624-537: The American Civil War , these wagon trains would often be accompanied by the wagons of private merchants, known as sutlers , who sold goods to soldiers, as well as the wagons of photographers and news reporters. Special purpose-built support wagons existed for blacksmithing , telegraphy and even observation ballooning. In migration settings, such as the emigrant trails of the American West and

663-703: The Dingo Fence and the Rabbit-proof fence , but there are many others. In more recent years, pest-exclusion fences have been built around singular properties, or groups of properties. This practice is known as cluster fencing. Cluster fencing allows farmers to monitor and mitigate predation pressure on livestock , and monitor Total Grazing Pressure (TGP) through accurate abundance data of native, pest, and domestic herbivores . Australia uses pest-exclusion fencing to separate several high-value or threatened species from introduced predators. One such example

702-539: The Great Trek of South Africa, wagons would travel together for support, navigation and protection. A group of wagons may be used to create an improvised fort called a laager , made by circling them to form an enclosure. In these settings, a chuckwagon is a small wagon used for providing food and cooking, essentially a portable kitchen. In addition to horses and oxen, animals such as mules and goats have been used as draft animals for appropriately-sized wagons. As

741-525: The Stolen Generations , escaped from the mission settlement. Two sisters were successful in walking hundreds of kilometers back to their family at Jigalong by following the rabbit-proof fence. Garmimara is the daughter of Molly, one of the girls. The dramatic film Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) is based on the book. In 2016, Englishwoman Lindsey Cole walked the fence from Moore River Settlement, 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) through to Jigalong. She

780-591: The 1880s to 1920s and held up to 500 gallons of oil or spirits. In the city center of Schwäbisch Gmünd , Germany, since 1992 the city's plants are irrigated using a horse-drawn wagon with a water tank . Wagons have also served as the first mobile homes , as mobile workshops, and mobile kitchens. Travelling circuses decorated their wagons to be able to take part in the grand parade —even packing wagons for equipment, animal cage wagons, living vans and band wagons. Popular in North America was, and still is,

819-517: The Colony for the effectual extermination of rabbits". A Royal Commission was held in 1901 to investigate the situation. It determined to build a pest-exclusion fence. The fence posts are placed 12 ft (3.7 m) apart and have a minimum diameter of 4 in (100 mm). There were initially three wires of 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 gauge , strung 4 in (102 mm), 1 ft 8 in (0.5 m), and 3 ft (0.9 m) above ground, with

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858-608: The best way to inspect the fence was using buckboard buggies, pulled by two camels. The camels were also used as pack animals , especially in the north. In the east, camels were used to pull drays with supplies for the riders. Camels were ideal for this as they could go for a long time without water. They were considered critical to the building and maintenance of the fence. Crawford supervised four sub-inspectors, each responsible for about 500 miles (800 km) of fence, and 25 boundary riders, who regularly patrolled 100-mile (160 km) sections of fence. Due to frontier violence in

897-555: The fences were intended to protect. No. 1 Fence intersected railway lines at: No. 2 Fence intersected with most of the Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia . The Darling Downs–Moreton Rabbit Board fence is a rabbit fence that extends along part of the Queensland–New South Wales border. In 1907, Arthur Upfield , an Australian writer who had previously worked on the construction of No. 1 Fence, began writing

936-428: The float or show wagon, driven by six horses pulling a highly decorated show wagon with a token payload, and heavily painted with company or owner advertising. Horse-drawn wagons are popular attractions at tourist destinations for leisurely sightseeing. During the transition to mechanized vehicles from animal-powered, vehicles were built by coachbuilders and the bodies and undercarriages were substantially similar to

975-593: The horse-drawn vehicles. In modern times, the term station wagon survives as a type of automobile. It describes a car with a passenger compartment that extends to the back of the vehicle, that has no trunk, that has one or more rear seats that can be folded making space for carrying cargo, as well as featuring an opening tailgate or liftgate. In migration and military settings, wagons were often found in large groups called wagon trains . In warfare, large groups of supply wagons were used to support traveling armies with food and munitions, forming "baggage trains". During

1014-530: The introduction of myxomatosis to control rabbits in the 1950s, the importance of the rabbit-proof fence diminished. By 1902, rabbits had already been found west of the fence line that had been initially constructed. The Number 2 Rabbit Proof Fence was built in 1905 in order to stem their advance. It held back the rabbits for many years, to such an extent that the Government Scheme for supplying rabbit netting, by extending long-term loans to farmers,

1053-422: The north of the state, a 300-mile (480 km) section of No. 1 Fence was patrolled by riders who traveled in pairs. Crawford also was responsible for eliminating rabbits that had breached the fence. In the first year following the fence's completion, rabbit colonies were found and all members killed at several locations inside the fence. These included sites near Coorow , Mullewa , and Northampton . Following

1092-505: The project became the responsibility of the Public Works Department of Western Australia, under the supervision of Richard John Anketell. With a workforce of 120 men, 350 camels, 210 horses and 41 donkeys, Anketell was responsible for the construction of the greater part of No. 1 Fence and the survey of its last 70 miles (110 km). Alexander Crawford took over the maintenance of the fence from Anketell as each section

1131-501: The rabbits became extremely prolific and spread rapidly across the southern parts of the country. Australia had ideal conditions for an explosion in the rabbit population, which constituted an invasive species . By 1887, agricultural losses from rabbit damage compelled the New South Wales Government to offer a £25,000 reward (equivalent to $ 3,900,000 in 2022) for "any method of success not previously known in

1170-404: The rear wheels were 7 feet (2.13 m) in diameter, and the wagons weighed 7,800 pounds (3,500 kg) empty. Freight wagons in the American West were hauled by oxen, mules or horses. Freight wagon teams would generally haul between three and thirty-five tons of freight when hauling to mining outposts. On the return, they would haul ore to steamboats or to railroad depots. A delivery wagon

1209-669: Was a predominant form of freight wagon in the late 18th and 19th centuries, often used for hauling goods on the Great Wagon Road in the Appalachian Valley and across the Appalachian Mountains. Even larger wagons were built, such as the twenty-mule team wagons , used for hauling borax from Death Valley , which could haul 36 short tons (32 long tons; 33 t) per pair. The wagons' bodies were 16 feet (4.88 m) long and 6 feet (1.83 m) deep;

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1248-406: Was finished; he was in charge until he retired in 1922. The area inside the fence to the west became known as "Crawford's Paddock". The fence was maintained at first by boundary riders riding bicycles and later by riders astride camels . However, fence inspection was difficult from atop the tall animal. In 1910, a car was bought for fence inspection, but it was subject to punctured tyres. It was found

1287-445: Was formerly called a wain and one who builds or repairs wagons is a wainwright . More specifically, a wain is a type of horse- or oxen-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for agricultural purposes rather than transporting people. A wagon or cart, usually four-wheeled; for example, a haywain, normally has four wheels, but the term has now acquired slightly poetical connotations, so is not always used with technical correctness. However,

1326-692: Was met by Doris Garimara's daughter at the end of the walk in September 2016. Pest-exclusion fence A pest-exclusion fence is a barrier that is built to exclude certain types of animal pests from an enclosure . This may be to protect plants in horticulture , preserve grassland for grazing animals, separate species carrying diseases ( vector species ) from livestock, prevent troublesome species entering roadways, or to protect endemic species in nature reserves . These fences are not necessarily traditional wire barriers, but may also include barriers of sound, or smell. Animals can be excluded by

1365-450: Was never applied to farmers west of that fence. The farmers between the two fences suffered from the ravages of the rabbits for many years, before they bred into plague form to spread out over the agricultural districts to the west of the No. 2 fence. Overall, as a long-term barrier to rabbits, the fences were a failure; even while construction was underway, rabbits were hopping into regions that

1404-434: Was one of the best types of wood used in the fence. Other timbers used were mulga , wodjil , native pine , and tea-tree , depending on what could be found close to where the fence was to be built. Iron posts were used where there was no wood. Most materials had to be hauled hundreds of kilometres from rail heads and ports by bullock, mule and camel teams. From 1901, the fence was constructed by private contractors. In 1904,

1443-468: Was the longest unbroken fence in the world. Rabbits were introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788. They became a problem after October 1859, when Thomas Austin released 24 wild rabbits from England for hunting purposes, believing "The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." With virtually no local predators,

1482-970: Was used in Nagano Prefecture , Japan in a conservation effort to maintain plant diversity. The methods were effective for increasing species richness, but not as effective for conserving rare plants. Wagon A wagon (or waggon in British English ) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods , commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from carts (which have two wheels) and from lighter four-wheeled vehicles primarily for carrying people, such as carriages . Animals such as horses , mules , or oxen usually pull wagons. One animal or several, often in pairs or teams may pull wagons. However, there are examples of human-propelled wagons, such as mining corfs . A wagon

1521-456: Was used to deliver merchandise such as milk, bread, produce, meat and ice to residential and commercial customers, predominantly in urban settings. The concept of express wagons and of paneled delivery vans developed in the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, delivery wagons were often finely painted, lettered and varnished, serving as image-builders and rolling advertisements. Special forms of delivery wagon include an ice wagon and

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