1884 – 1890

John Lysaght opened his first wire mill on the banks of the Parramatta river in 1884 to produce Australian made wire netting–and the Waratah brand was born. By the end of 1890 Australia’s rabbit plague was out of control. To keep the rabbits at bay the famous rabbit proof fence went up from Starvation Bay to the north of Port Hedland.

1901 – 1918

By 1901 Australia was in the grips of one the worst droughts on record. The rabbit plague was in full effect and demand for wire netting reached 50,000km per year by 1914. The onset of war presented a whole new challenge. Waratah turned their attention towards the war effort, supplying wire and ingenuity.

1920 – 1939

The launch of the Star^® post in 1926 made Waratah a household name, paving the way for large-scale fencing. Three years later, the Great Depression struck the world, forcing the Waratah plant to make further improvements in productivity.

1939 – 1948

WWII saw the entire nation turn its energies to the war effort. Waratah delivered hundreds of tonnes of barbed wire and Star^® posts to Egypt, India, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and Far East Asia. By 1941, Waratah had directed 90% of its production to the war.

1950 – 1970

1950 heralded the dawn of a golden era in Australian agriculture. With the commodities boom in full swing, Waratah spent time and money on improving their ever-growing product range. In 1966 the innovation team came up with the now famous galvanizing technique that coated wire up to ten times faster than traditional methods.

1970 – 2000

The drought of 1982 reminded farmers how harsh the Australian outback could be. In 2000, Waratah continued its commitment to Australian farmers by launching the Longlife Blue wire, specifically designed to endure the corrosive effects of the Australian climate.