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A small town's public phones became a lifeline during the 2019‑2020 bushfires, inspiring heritage listing for their role in connecting people when digital networks failed.
During the devastating black summer bushfires of 2019‑2020, a small town on New South Wales' south coast turned a forgotten roadside telephone into a lifeline.
With cellular signals gone, power out, and the internet down, residents and tourists alike formed quiet queues outside Narooma's three public phones to reach out. They spoke to family, friends and neighbours to confirm safety, share losses and simply say they were still alive.
Narooma Phones Became Vital Lifelines
"It was a very intimate space," recalled historian Naomi Parry Duncan, who had been holidaying in Narooma when the flames began to close in. "There was a sense of shared trauma, but also quiet empathy as people waited. " Nearly one thousand calls were placed to the booth on the Princes Highway over two months of uncertainty and recovery, a number that reflects the crucial role of voice communication in times of crisis.
In recognition of this cultural and social significance, the phone has been heritage listed and marked with a bronze plaque featuring gum leaves, a symbol of the local landscape and resilience. The decision highlights the genealogical importance of public payphones as community connectors. For decades Australians have relied on the network maintained by Telstra, which operates almost 14,000 pay phones nationwide. Since mid‑2021, all local and national calls from these machines have been free, encouraging their use in emergencies.
Telstra Backs Payphone Infrastructure Resilience
In the last twelve months alone, 25 million calls have been made from pay phones, including 300,000 to emergency services such as Triple Zero and crisis helplines. Telstra's regional general manager, Chris Taylor, stresses that public phones are "absolutely critical" for vulnerable populations who need crisis support and uninterrupted connectivity, particularly in remote or disaster‑impacted regions. To enhance resilience, the company is investing in power backups and network infrastructure that can be quickly restored after such events.
Parry Duncan emphasises that payphones are more than relics; they have historically supported women in finding employment and escaping abusive situations, and they have served to keep Indigenous communities in contact with each other. In a country as large as Australia, the accessibility of these lines in moments of isolation is indispensable. The Narooma booth's recognition is a reminder that even the simplest technologies can become lifelines when the world becomes more fragile.
Narooma Public Payphones Black Summer Bushfires Heritage Listing Telstra
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