Life line for life on the land

Two regional phone boxes have been nominated for Heritage listings, honouring the important roles they’ve played in rural communities.

Public phones (formally known as payphones) provide a crucial connection to the outside world.

Two small towns in New South Wales and Queensland are now waiting for a call – to see if their public phones will become a nationally-recognised icon.

Doomadgee dial

More than 1000 kilometres from the nearest major city, Doomadgee is about as remote as it gets.

The Far North Queensland town is very fond of their public phone on Goodeedawa Road.

Over the past year, the phone box has facilitated around 1400 calls – roughly one for every person in town.

The phone box isn’t just well-loved, it’s well made too.

It’s been built to withstand the extremes of the wet and dry seasons, when the internal phone booth temperate can swelter near 60°C.

Narooma in natural disaster

The coastal New South Wales town of Narooma was battered by the brutal bushfires of 2020.

The public phone on the Princess Highway became a makeshift community hub, as power and mobile signal dropped in and out.

Over a two-month period, nearly 1000 outgoing calls were made from the phone box.

Locals queued for long periods, desperate to share with their loved ones they were safe.

Historian Dr Naomi Parry Duncan was on the South Coast when the bushfires hit.

“There was no mobile coverage, or power, or internet, or ways to get cash or coins,” Dr Duncan said.

“When we heard Telstra had made the payphones free, people queued for hours to contact the outside world.”

Dr Duncan is now writing the heritage listing submissions for consideration by the National Trust of Australia.

“Telstra public phones remain a critical means of connection across the country.”

“Even in the age of the smartphone, the iconic silhouette stands as a beacon of connection – often for those most in need,” Dr Duncan said.

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Telstra is encouraging Aussies to give them a buzz and share their phone box stories.

You can call 1800 007 403, dial #STORY from any Telstra public phone, or visit here.