The River

Australia's major river system is collapsing. Parts of it are dying; parts of it are already dead. Australia's most significant river no longer reaches the sea. Ecosystems are dying, farmers are going to the wall, towns are emptying. I stand for a few moments longer on the jetty and look out into the dim autumn light and wonder once again how it has come to this.

In The River, Chris Hammer takes the reader on a journey through Australia's heartland, following the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin, recounting his experiences, his impressions, and, above all, stories of the people he meets along the way. It's a journey punctuated with laughter, sadness, and reflection.

The River transports the reader past the daily news reports and their sterile statistics, revealing the true impact of our rivers' decline on the people who live along their shores, and on the country as a whole. It's a tale that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of nostalgia for an Australia that may be fading away forever.