A River with a City Problem: A History of Brisbane Floods

by Margaret Cook

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780702267055
Publisher:	University of Queensland Press
Publication date:	05/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Margaret Cook holds a PhD in history from The University of Queensland. She is a member of the Professional Historians Association, has a significant body of work in environmental and social history and heritage conservation, and has worked in cultural tourism and the museum sector. Margaret is a Research Fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, and an Honorary Research Fellow at La Trobe University. Margaret lives in Ipswich with her husband and two sons.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Meandering River vii

The Brisbane River Catchment: Map and Facts xiv

1 Encountering the Floodplain 1

2 Mighty Outbreak of Nature's Forces: The 1893 Floods 22

3 Taming the River 44

4 Encroaching on the Floodplain 71

5 The River Prevails: The 1974 Flood 91

6 Dam Dependency 120

7 The Untameable Torrent: The 2011 Flood 144

8 Flood Management with Hindsight 177

Conclusion: Floods Will Come Again 191

Acknowledgements 199

Notes on Sources 202

Notes 204

Index 227