theguardian.com
Narooma payphone heritage listed for connecting people when mobiles failed during black summer bushfires
When the internet went down, people politely queued at phone booths on NSW’s south coast to share tales of survival and heartbreak with the outside world
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During the black summer bushfires of 2019-20, mobile phone networks were knocked out in Narooma, as a raging blaze bore down on the New South Wales hamlet.
Under furious orange skies and amid thick smoke, locals and tourists lined up at Narooma’s public payphones to let family and friends know they were OK, or to check-in on neighbours. Continue reading...