Narooma Payphone: A Lifeline Amidst Black Summer Flames

During the Black Summer bushfires, a payphone in Narooma, New South Wales, became a critical point of contact for those affected. With mobile reception and power out, residents and visitors queued for hours to use the public phones to contact family or check on neighbors. One payphone outside Narooma Plaza has now been heritage listed for its cultural and social role during the disaster, with almost 1,000 calls made from it over two months. Historian Naomi Parry Duncan led the nomination, highlighting the empathy and shared trauma witnessed among people waiting to use the phones.

Telstra maintains Australia's 14,000 payphones, with local and national calls to standard fixed lines and mobiles being free since mid-2021. In the past year, 25 million calls were made from payphones, including 300,000 to emergency and crisis lines. Telstra regional general manager Chris Taylor emphasized their importance for vulnerable people needing crisis support and connection. The company is also enhancing disaster resilience with power backups for quicker connectivity restoration. Public phones have a significant history in Australia, aiding women in finding employment, leaving abusive relationships, and keeping Indigenous communities connected across the country's vast distances.