A River with a City Problem: a history of Brisbane floods
A River with a City Problem is a pleasure to read. Despite encompassing a myriad of resources and themes, the narrative histories of the Brisbane floods of 1893, 1974 and 2011 flow effortlessly.
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A River with a City Problem: a history of Brisbane floods
Margaret Cook | September 2019
Initially I was a little reluctant to read this book. Having spent 25 years reading Brisbane history for Brisbane City Council–Heritage, I thought it might be far too familiar. I was wrong. Dr Margaret Cook examines these flood events by combining detailed archival documentary research with media reports and first-hand accounts, in a narrative with the meticulous referencing you would expect from the PhD that formed the basis of this book. Oral histories and evidence from numerous experts, particularly hydraulic engineers, are a welcome addition.
The histories are not the well-worn tales of unprecedented events, tragedy, heroism and communities overcoming adversity, although these elements are recognised. The overarching story is of ‘the arrogance of human belief that the complexities of nature could be made predictable’ (p. 183) and therefore disasters are able to be prevented through technological engineering solutions. Despite the post-1893 construction of Somerset Dam, and the post-1974 construction of Wivenhoe Dam, the 2011 floods showed the shortcomings of those ‘flood proofing’ measures. The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry highlighted the unpredictable nature of flooding, and the failure of manuals and existing planning legislation in 2011 to manage and prevent a reoccurrence. Cook points out that despite this, there remains the widespread belief that floods are preventable without addressing the root cause – the development and construction of houses on floodplains.
The book’s title flags the issue; it is not ‘A City with a River Problem’, as numerous people have suggested when I’ve told them about the book. The problem is the ill-conceived location of the city on the river. The prioritising of easy access of goods via the waterway, and the use of fertile floodplain land for early agriculture has led to the development of Brisbane and numerous other cities in vulnerable locations. It’s a case study of the history of many places in the current anthropocene.
However, to reduce this review to a single theme is to overlook the many histories it encompasses. The now quaint tales of nineteenth-century Brisbane and the horse called ‘Lunatic’ that carried the rider dispatched to warn the city’s residents of the 1893 flood, sit alongside detailed histories of that and the subsequent floods in 1974 and 2011. Individual stories, as well as newspaper reports and quotes from political leaders, paint comprehensive and riveting accounts of these events. The concurrent accounts of flooding in Ipswich and surrounds in those years are also detailed, as well as the important, but rarely compiled, history of land development in Brisbane and Ipswich over time. The politics of local, state and federal governments in relation to the floods are examined, as well as the development of water infrastructure, snapshots of political leaders and thorough analyses of statutory reports and legislation.
A River with a City Problem is an excellent example of writing a multifaceted history that also makes compelling reading to advocate for change.
Reviewer: Dr Carmel Black, PHA (Qld)
A River with a City Problem is published by the University of Queensland Press.