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99% Invisible
99% Invisible

The Longest Fence in the World

February 24, 2026 • 31m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

This episode explores Australia's dingo barrier fence, the longest fence in the world at over 5,000 kilometers. Originally built to keep out rabbits, it was repurposed to protect the wool industry from dingoes. The fence has dramatically altered Australia's ecology, splitting the continent into two distinct ecosystems visible from space. The story examines the complex relationship between humans and dingoes, from the fence's maintenance to the tragic recent events on Fraser Island (Gari), where dingoes roam free and conflicts with tourists have led to fatal encounters.

The World's Longest Fence

Reporter Shirley Wong travels to the small town of Jindawi in Queensland to explore the dingo barrier fence, which stretches over 5,000 kilometers across southeastern Australia—longer than the distance between San Francisco and New York. The fence, which begins in a cattle pasture outside Jindawi, is a simple six-foot-tall wire structure that has fundamentally transformed the ecology of the entire continent. Despite its modest appearance, this infrastructure has split Australia in two, creating distinct ecosystems on either side that are visible from space.

  • The dingo barrier fence is the longest continuous fence in the world at over 5,000 kilometers
  • The fence is maintained with $10 million annually funded by state and local governments plus a fence tax on farmers
  • The fence has split the continent into two distinct ecological zones visible from space
  • Animals like kangaroos and emus constantly damage the fence by running into it
" At over 5,000 kilometers, the dingo barrier fence is longer than the distance between San Francisco and New York City. "
" This simple wire structure has actually transformed the entire ecology of Australia. It has split the continent in two, separating animal populations and changing the landscape so much that you can see the effects from space. "

From Rabbits to Dingoes: The Fence's Origin Story

The fence was originally built in 1901 to combat Australia's devastating rabbit plague, which began when one man received 24 rabbits as a gift from England. Those rabbits bred into thousands, destroying crops and overgrazing the landscape. The government built three rabbit-proof fences, but rabbits found ways around all of them. These failed rabbit fences were later repurposed for dingoes as the wool industry expanded into the interior, where sheep became vulnerable to dingo attacks.

  • 24 rabbits shipped from England as a gift multiplied into thousands, causing Australia's rabbit plague
  • Three rabbit-proof fences were built but all failed to stop rabbits from spreading throughout Australia
  • The defunct rabbit fences were later raised and joined together to keep out dingoes instead
  • British colonizers brought many invasive species to Australia for hunting, including foxes, cats, deer, pigs, and goats
" Over the next three years, those 24 animals bred like, well, rabbits. And soon there were thousands. The rabbits damaged crops, overgrazed grasses, spread diseases, dug holes wherever they pleased. Basically, they were the worst gift ever and made one man go down in Australian history as the guy who caused the rabbit plague. "

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