Did rabbits overrun Australia and cause great damage?

gtho4

yep, they were a pest! A fence was built though the outback to stop their westward movement. Another followed, then another .. they're about 3,000km long The rabbit-proof fence was built to protect Western Australian crops and pasture lands from the destructive scourge of the rabbit. Introduced to Australia in Victoria in the 1850s, the pest rapidly spread across eastern Australia. By 1896 it had been found as far west as Eucla and 200 kilometres further west at Twilight Cove, near Esperance. The fence represents a unique, if inadequate, response to an overwhelming environmental problem. Construction of the Number 1 Rabbit Proof Fence began in 1901. It stretched 1834 kilometres from the south coast to the northwest coast, along a line north of Burracoppon, 230 kilometres east of Perth. Unfortunately by 1902 rabbits had already been found west of the fence line. The Number 2 Rabbit Proof Fence was built in 1905 in order to stem their advance. Stretching 1166 kilometres from Point Ann on the south coast through Cunderdin, 150 kilometres east of Perth, the new fence joined the original fence line at Gum Creek in the Murchison area. http://www.liswa.wa.gov.au/wepon/land/html/rabbits.html Rabbits became established in Victoria in 1859 and advanced at the rate of about 112km per year and entered Western Australia 34 years later in 1894. The 50% drop in stock carrying capacity and the extensive damage to cereal crops following their spread was evidence of the hundreds of millions of dollars the rabbits ere to cost Australia. The WA Government in 1901 commenced the No. 1 fence, at a point 128km west of Esperance – called Bedford Harbour – north again to go into the sea, south of Port Hedland. This fence covered over 1800km in length. Rabbits bypassed this fence so No. 2 fence was built roughly parallel with No. 1 90 – 160km further West starting from Pt Anne on the South Coast through Cunderdin to Yalgoo and then met the No.1 at Meekatharra a t Gum Creek. It was approximately 1120km long and built in 1906 at a cost of $400 per mile. The No. 3 fence was completed in 1907. The state had about 3200km of fencing at a cost of $816.00. The posts were 4 metres apart with three plain wires, the height was approximately 1 metre and the wire tarred and buried into the ground to a depth of ½ metre. Gates were numbered on this fence (no. 2) by the miles from Cunderdin and at all times were to be kept closed or fines were imposed. Yard traps also were set into the fence at intervals of 10 miles to trap the rabbits. Yard traps with a wire funnel leading from the fence trapped the rabbits and the inspections by the rabbiter duly dispensed of the pests. The Inspector was stationed at Cunderdin and inspected as far as the 88 mile peg approximately 3 times a month. http://www.quairading.wa.gov.au/visitors/rabbit_proof_fence.html Mar 06 10, 1:12 AM

gtho4

.. and in Queensland the fence is over 40,000km long including private fences To prevent the further spread and devastation ofrabbits, a rabbit proof fence started construction in 1886 at a point 25.6 km west of the WarregoRiver. By 1891, the fence had reached within afew kilometres of Haddon Corner in the far north-east of South Australia and was laterextended east to Mungindi, completed in 1903. Between 1892 and 1905, Queensland wassubdivided into nine separate Rabbit BoardDistricts. Each district erected netted barrierfences to keep the rabbit out. Barrier and check fences erected from 1886 to1929 comprised:• Government border fence 1,171.2 km• Board fences9,836.8 km• Private fences36,396.0 kmFences were hastily erected but unfortunately therabbit had already invaded some districts beforethe fences were complete. Some of the invadeddistricts had inadequate financial and technicalresources to cope with the problem and wentbankrupt. Many other rabbit fences fell into disrepair and ceased being a barrier to rabbits. http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-History-Barrier-Fence-PA25.pdf Mar 06 10, 1:18 AM