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Loading... Yarra: A Diverting History of Melbourne's Murky River (2005)by Kristin Otto
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Erudite, affectionate and witty, with more meanders and diversions than the river itself, Yarra is both a fascinating read and a fitting tribute to the 'noble stream'. In September 1835 surveyor John Wedge misheard the local Kulin identify the river as 'Yarrow Yarrow'. It was only some months later that Wedge discovered they had been referring to the pattern and movement of water over the Falls, not the river itself. And ever since, it has been the Yarra's fate to be misunderstood: maligned for its muddiness, ill-used as sewer and tip; scooped, sculpted, straightened and stressed, 'cleaned up' to the detriment of its natural inhabitants; built-over, under and beside; worked mercilessly and then bridged almost to maritime extinction. In Kristin Otto's superbly entertaining new history, the whole sorry tale is laid bare. From the creation stories of Kulin owners and geologist blow-ins to the twenty-first-century waterside building boom, Otto traces the course of Melbourne's murky river. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)551.483099452Natural sciences and mathematics Earth sciences & geology Geology, Hydrology Meteorology Surface features of the earth Rivers; LakesRatingAverage:
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It is essentially a social history of the river while I think I would have liked some more detail in the geology and engineering of the river and i suspect it is a book that I would have enjoyed more with a greater number of maps and picture than are in it. Nonetheless is is and easy and engaging read that contains lots of interesting information and will be on interest to anyone with an interest in Melbourne's history. ( )