River with a City Problem
A History of Brisbane Floods
Published on 22. May 2023
284 pages
978-0-7022-6699-7 (ISBN)
Description
When floods devastated South East Queensland in 2011, who was to blame? Despite the inherent risk of living on a floodplain, most residents had pinned their hopes on Wivenhoe Dam to protect them, and when it failed to do so, dam operators were blamed for the scale of the catastrophic events that followed. A River with a City Problem is a compelling history of floods in the Brisbane River catchment, especially those in 1893, 1974, 2011 and 2022. Extensively researched, it highlights the force of nature, the vagaries of politics and the power of community. With many river cities facing urban development challenges, historian Margaret Cook makes a convincing argument for what must change to prevent further tragedy. In this updated edition, Cook investigates the 2022 floods to illustrate how no two floods are the same.
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Content
- Cover
- Author Biography
- Title Page
- Imprint Page
- Contents
- Introduction: A Meandering River
- Glossary
- The Brisbane River Catchment: Map and Facts
- Chapter 1: Encountering the Floodplain
- Chapter 2: Mighty Outbreak of Nature's Forces: The 1893 Floods
- Chapter 3: Taming the River
- Chapter 4: Encroaching on the Floodplain
- Chapter 5: The River Prevails: The 1974 Flood
- Chapter 6: Dam Dependency
- Chapter 7: The Untameable Torrent: The 2011 Flood
- Chapter 8: Flood Management with Hindsight
- Chapter 9: No Two Floods Are the Same: The 2022 Flood
- Conclusion: Floods Will Come Again
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on Sources
- Notes
- Index
