A South Australian fencing contractor has come up with a new way of stopping people from being places they shouldn’t – by using a horse fence.

Ian Mackenna (known as ‘Gonzo’) of Barefoot Contracting has adapted a specialist horse fencing product and used it at road rest areas to deter people from crossing onto private land and nature reserves and to stop rubbish blowing about.

"We were looking for a suitable product for roadside fencing – you can’t have it looking like a prison, but we still need to make it a bit difficult for people to get through," Gonzo said.

"We had been using basic netting to fence rest areas, but it’s difficult to strain up tightly and always easy for people to jump over.

"I had started using Waratah Longlife wire in coastal areas, because it doesn’t rust like standard galvanized products.

"I saw Ian Budge, my Waratah sales rep, and he had a sample of Stocksafe-T for horses with him. As soon as I saw it I just knew it would be perfect for the job.

"Longlife coated, and with small picket spacings (5cm) it is hard to get your foot into. At 122cm high it is just that bit harder to jump over," Gonzo said.

Unlike netting, the Stocksafe-T strains up tight, which not only looks neat, but makes it much harder to climb. It also has a special knot that leaves no sharp ends sticking out, so you can run your hands over either side and not get scratched – a great benefit according to Transport SA.

"When I suggested it to Transport South Australia, who is responsible for the road rest areas, they saw the benefit straight away, despite it costing more than standard netting," Gonzo said.

"Now that people have seen it up in the rest areas, they are asking me to fence off house yards with it. Turns out it is great for keeping kids in too."

Since first seeing the product last year, Gonzo has used it right across mid-north and western South Australia, in rest areas along the Barrier, Stuart, Lincoln, Flinders and Eyre Highways. Next month he will be using it along the Strezleki Track.

"I am really impressed with it and plan on using it for a long time. I’m sure that the more people see of it, the more uses we will find," Gonzo said.

Stocksafe-T is available in a range of sizes and suitable is also for feral animal control. For more information, contact your Waratah sales rep on 13 10 80 or click here.