Yarra: A Diverting History by Kristin Otto

(1 customer review)

It was John Wedge, Batman’s private surveyor, who named the Yarra Yarra. In September 1835 he was at the Turning Basin with some Kulin and heard them identify the river as it came over the Falls as, he wrote, ‘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 (and Robert Hoddle’s bad-tempered expedition to the headwaters) to the twenty-first-century waterside building boom, Otto traces the course of Melbourne’s murky river.

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’.

ISBN – 9781921520006

Publisher – Text Publishing

$24.95

1 in stock

Book Reviews 1 review for Yarra: A Diverting History by Kristin Otto

  1. Marion

    This was such a complete, fulfilling read. The breadth of coverage over prehistorical, environmental, social, historical and cultural aspects was fascinating to me.

Add a review

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Description

It was John Wedge, Batman’s private surveyor, who named the Yarra Yarra. In September 1835 he was at the Turning Basin with some Kulin and heard them identify the river as it came over the Falls as, he wrote, ‘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 (and Robert Hoddle’s bad-tempered expedition to the headwaters) to the twenty-first-century waterside building boom, Otto traces the course of Melbourne’s murky river.

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’.

ISBN – 9781921520006

Publisher – Text Publishing

Additional information

Weight 0.185 kg
Dimensions 19.5 × 13 × 1.5 cm

Book Reviews 1 review for Yarra: A Diverting History by Kristin Otto

  1. Marion

    This was such a complete, fulfilling read. The breadth of coverage over prehistorical, environmental, social, historical and cultural aspects was fascinating to me.

Add a review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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