Highway pay phone rings in national treasure status

On New Year's Day in 2020, during the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires that devastated much of NSW's far south coast, locals and tourists in Narooma turned to a pay phone as a lifeline. The public phone outside Narooma Plaza on the Princes Highway, which has now been heritage listed, saw almost 1,000 calls made over two months after the disaster.

Historian Naomi Parry Duncan, who was holidaying in Narooma at the time, led the nomination of the phone to the National Trust of Australia NSW register for its cultural and social significance in the fires' aftermath. The pay phone's role as a space for empathy and support during the fires was a poignant sight. Telstra, responsible for maintaining Australia's 14,000 pay phones, emphasized the critical role these phones play in connecting vulnerable people and ensuring connectivity during disasters.

Dr. Parry Duncan highlighted the long history of public phones in Australian culture, particularly their importance in women's lives, helping them find employment and escape abusive relationships, as well as bridging connections within Indigenous communities.