99% Invisible The Longest Fence in the World
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Feb 24, 2026 
Shirley Wong, a radio reporter who did the on-the-ground reporting, narrates the story of Australia’s Dingo Barrier Fence. She traces its origin as protection for sheep and rabbit control. Short scenes cover the fence’s construction, its huge ecological split across the land, maintenance and costs, and the fraught politics and cultural debates around dingoes and conservation.
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Visiting The Fence That Starts In Jindawi
- Shirley Wong visits Jindawi where the Dingo Barrier Fence begins and meets local guide Doug Henning to tour the site.
- The fence starts in a cattle pasture, is about six feet tall, and visually appears as ordinary wire despite its continental reach.
Simple Fence Created A Continent Scale Ecological Boundary
- The Dingo Barrier Fence is not just long but has reshaped Australian ecology by separating animal populations across hundreds of kilometers.
- The fence repurposed failed rabbit-proof barriers and was raised to block dingoes, creating a dingo-free zone across much of the southeast.
Rabbit Plague Built The Fence's Skeleton
- Rabbit infestations prompted early 1900s rabbit-proof fences that ultimately failed to stop rabbits but were later converted for dingo control.
- Authorities joined and raised these old rabbit fences after World War II, once reaching nearly 9,600 kilometers before later reductions.