In the beginning, there
was the river — before the beach, before the drain, before the dredging, before
the dams, before numerous other actions that altered the stream.
River Dreams reveals the complex
history of the Cooks River in south-eastern Sydney — a river renowned as Australia’s most altered and polluted. While
nineteenth century developers called it ‘improvement’, the sugar mill, tanneries, and factories that lined the banks of Sydney's Cooks River had drastic consequences
for the health of the river. Local Aboriginal
people became fringe dwellers, and over time the river became severely
compromised, with many ecosystems damaged or destroyed. Later, a large section was turned into a concrete canal, and
in the late 1940s the river was rerouted for the
expansion of Sydney Airport.
While much of the river has
been rehabilitated in recent decades by passionate local groups and through government
initiatives, it continues to be a source of controversy with rapid apartment development placing new stresses
on the region. River
Dreams is a timely reminder of
the need to tread cautiously in seeking to dominate, or ignore, our
environment.
A beautiful book that reminds us that Australians are river people as much as we are bush or coast dwellers.’ — IAN HOSKINS
