Narooma pay phone gets heritage status for bushfire role
A public phone in Narooma made almost 1000 calls over two months when mobile networks and power failed during Black Summer.
Under orange skies and bushfire smoke, locals at Narooma Plaza queued to use one of three public phones in town during the catastrophic Black Summer fires. Almost 1000 calls went through it over two months when mobile networks were down and power was out.
Some people called loved ones to say they were safe. People waiting told their stories of losing everything.
The phone has now been added to the National Trust of Australia NSW heritage register. Historian Naomi Parry Duncan, who sheltered at an evacuation centre during the fires, led the nomination.
The trust marked it with a bronze plaque. Telstra maintains 14,000 public phones across Australia, all free to use since 2021.
- almost 1000
- Calls over two months
- 3
- Public phones in Narooma
- Naomi Parry Duncan, historian
- Nominator
- 14,000
- Telstra public phones nationwide
Why it mattersThe story shows why old infrastructure becomes vital when modern tech fails, especially for vulnerable people and remote communities.
AustraliaPublic phones are part of Australia's safety net during emergencies and in remote areas where mobile networks can go down.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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