Irrigation, Salinity, and Rural Communities in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, 1945–2020 (Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History)

This book explores the issue of salinization in the context of contemporary conflicts about irrigation, water, and the environment in Australia, considering the Murray-Darling Basin in particular. It provides an environmental and social history charting the transformation of rural communities in the basin through the salinization of soils and water. Focusing on the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation district in the southwest of the Murray-Darling basin – the largest irrigation district in Australia – it explores the history of state-directed, large-scale engineering in the district, where the environment has been altered dramatically to facilitate white agricultural settlement inland. Changes to the landscape led to extensive salinization, however – a significant environmental threat in Australia. This book traces the impact of these changes on rural communities, taking a ‘bottom-up’ approach, highlighting the connections between environmental, social, and political change. It provides animportant reflection on the importance of environmental history for facing the challenges posed by anthropogenic climate change. Preface Acknowledgments Contents About the Author Abbreviations List of Figures 1 Introduction An Outsider’s View Environmental History for Contemporaries 2 History, Geography, and Geology The Murray–Darling Basin A Deep History of Salinity The Goulburn–Murray Irrigation District, Kerang, and Shepparton 3 Antecedents Aboriginal Water Engineering European Invasion, Squatting, and Agriculture Irrigated Landscapes The Significance of Salinity 4 The Dialectic of Environmental Security (1945–1976) Dreaming Security More Water: The Post-War Boom Enter Salinity: The Drought of 1967–1968 Too Much Water: The Wet Years of the Early 1970s 5 A Time of Crisis (1976–1982) The Complexity of Salinity The Politics of Salinity The Promise of Irrigation People Versus Birds 6 Community Activism (1966–1988) On Mastering a Slow Catastrophe The Birth of Salinity Action Groups from the Spirit of Ernest Jackson Disparate Sisters: Community Groups in Kerang and Shepparton Tree Planters, a Pipeline, and Growing Unrest Interlude: A Multi-faceted Problem 7 A New World (1979–1994) Go with the Flow Winds of Change A Friendly Takeover 8 Under Control? (1988–2020) Legacies The Way Forward 9 Conclusion 10 Epilogue Glossary Bibliography Index