Ian Tyrrell on River Dreams, in conversation with Ian Hoskins. Wednesday 14th March, Gleebooks

Wednesday 14th March, 6pm for 6.30pm
Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe

Ian Tyrrell in conversation with Ian Hoskins
$12/$9/gleeclub free. Book online here or phone 02 9660 2333

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.
Image: J Bar, Cooks River, Earlwood, CC-BY-2.5, remix by AG using GIMP.