At 8,320 km, the Dingo Barrier Fence was the longest manmade fence in the world when it was constructed. Starting at the Great Australian Bight in the south-west of South Australia, the fence ran across to the north-west New South Wales border then into Queensland and up to Cloncurry before starting south, where it terminated at Yelarbon.
Today, sheep flocks in Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia are still protected by a slightly shorter version of the fence. An old strainer post in Yelarbon now marks the end of the original route. You’ll also find a replica of the traditional fence along with sculptures of the dingoes that the fence aimed to keep out.
The Yelarbon Men’s Shed wanted to create more interest and tell more of the story and the reasons behind the dingo fence so people could visualise the traditional fence aimed to keep the dingos out. The existing old strainer post was marked by a monument only, which we thought could be expanded by adding a sample of a replica fence, with the agreement of the YCCC (Yelarbon Community Consultative Committee). With assistance from the Goondiwindi Regional Council, three metal cutouts of dingos were added.
Yelarbon Men’s Shed received fantastic feedback and decided to expand the sculptures to tell the entire story with some suggestions to include sheep, a kangaroo and an emu. With the enthusiasm of the Yelarbon Men’s shed they ended up with four sheep, two emus, three kangaroos, and three dingos to complete the scene.
