Cartoon titled ‘Stevenson’s wire fence’, Queensland Figaro, 1884

European wild rabbits were introduced into Australia in 1859. Within 50 years, rabbits had spread across almost the whole of Australia. Rabbits had a devastating effect on Australia’s environment, and people have tried different ways to reduce their numbers. Fences became an integral component of what settlers in the late 19th century began to see as a war against the rabbits. The first extensive fences were built in central New South Wales and the initial success of private fencing encouraged state governments to construct even longer ones.