State Water Catchments and Fencing

[folcrom]

Hi All

I noticed something curious the other week-end while driving past the Cardinia Reservior water catchment.
The fences didn't look right.

These fences are typical cyclone wire fences with the tops mounted with barbed wire.
The barbed wire sections at the top are on a 45 degree angle.
This of course stops people from climbing over them.
Which is the fences purpose. Keeping people out, so the water catchments can remain pristine.

The problem:
The barbed wire section at the top faces inwards into the catchment.

Surely, if they want to keep people out, the barbed wire section should face outwards, away from the catchment.
That would make it far more difficult to climb over.
The way the fences are set up, it appears they are more interested in keeping something in!

It doesn't make a lot of sense.
Are they keeping the public out? (in which case the fencing doesn't make any sense) or
are they keeping something in? (in which case the fencing makes perfect sense).

If they are in fact keeping something in, what is it?

Has any-one else noticed fences set up like this at other water catchments?

Comments welcome.

Dean, what's your take on this?

Cheers

Folcrom

[Pixie Byrnes]

well, who's the clever 'fence inspector' now!

your right! an interesting feature having, the barbed wire on the inside,

most Council Project managers will explain that this design is ment to stop roos and koalas from pressing their boundaries and getting into other zones and domestic areas.

[Stainmaster]

thats something i have never noticed it would be curious to see if it is elsewhere as well or just a fencing contractor that stuffed up,
You are going to have me looking at fences everywhere now :-)

[Iggy_68]

I believe 'Roos go UNDER fences...

Maybe something taller than a Kangaroo...??

[Stainmaster]

found this little article on the emus at Emus At Cardinia Reservoir and how melbourne water wants to kill them as they are not native to the area off topic but interesting


http://www.webassets.com.au/Emus.htm

[folcrom]

Well, I guess my original post was probably just a tadd off topic as well.

I doubt the fences are there to contain emus.
There wouldn't have been many emus there when the catchment was fenced a few of decades back.

Unlikely to be a contractors error.
The whole catchment, which is quite large, is fenced in the same manner.

On a completely different note and probably in bad taste, also just a tadd of topic.

How to cook and emu:
1. place plucked and cleaned emu in big pot.
2. add one large river rock.
3. when rock gets tender, throw away emu, proceed to eat rock.

[Stainmaster]

the simple thing to do would be email the guys in charge of the water catchment their names are in the letters if REF to the emu story

[bowhunter]

Hi all, i think you'll find the barbed wire is on the inside for liability purposes. Although they want to keep people out, they dont want idiots getting caught on the wire, if the wire is on the inside then someone has to already be tresspassing to get injured. Even if they get stuck climbing in they must pass the boundry of the fence to become entangled. Less chance of somebody claiming anything on the grounds they were injured outside the fence.

[Stainmaster]

ahhhh got to love public liability

[folcrom]

I did think about that Bowhunter.

Then I remembered,
I've actually climbed over far fewer fences than those I've crawled under.

It's often far easier to go under a fence than over one. Especially the cyclone wire style fences.
You just need to ensure that the gap is large enough, even if you have to make it so.

So the fences they use, are no deterent to a determined human.

Still I find the orientation of the barbed wire sections a bit odd.