| Description |
1 online resource |
| Contents |
Cover ; Contents; Foreword; Acknowledgements; Conversions; Prologue -- the best hidden river in the world; 1 Geography -- physical and human; How to tackle this chapter; The Hawkesbury-Nepean River system; Where does the Hawkesbury start and end?; The Sydney Basin; The main-stem; The tributaries; Islands; Riverside townships; 2 Geology -- a skeleton of sandstone; Formation and stratigraphy of the Sydney Basin; Geological strata and the different soils they produced; Hawkesbury Sandstone; Geological evolution of the Hawkesbury; 3 How the Hawkesbury came to be an estuary; Estuaries and tides |
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What type of estuary is the Hawkesbury?Rising sea levels and the formation of the modern Hawkesbury; The importance of freshwater flows; 4 Hydrology -- floods, droughts and river regulation; Climate of the Hawkesbury region; Floods and droughts; Why is the Hawkesbury so flood-prone?; How is flood risk managed?; River regulation and water extraction; 5 The vexed matter of water quality; What is water quality?; Nutrients and sewage-treatment plants; Algal blooms: their origins and consequences; Toxicants; 6 Biota -- plants, animals and mythical creatures; Mangroves; Saltmarshes |
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Brackish-water swamps and marshesFreshwater wetlands; Seagrasses; Terrestrial vegetation of the catchment; Oysters; Fish and recreational angling; Mythical aquatic creatures; 7 Jewels in the crown -- the protected areas; A long-admired river; Different types of protected areas; Protected areas of the Hawkesbury catchment; Why have protected areas?; 8 An Aboriginal river; Aboriginal life on the Hawkesbury before British colonisation; Impacts of the first humans on the Hawkesbury and its catchment; 9 European discovery and early exploration; 1770: James Cook and Broken Bay |
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1788: the establishment of the British colony in New South WalesThe first expeditions; Further exploration and mapping; 10 European occupation and exploitation; Early colonial occupation; Surveying the catchment; The Aboriginal cost; The spread of European-style agriculture; The built legacy of European occupation; European impacts on the Hawkesbury and its catchment; 11 Barrier I -- road and ferry crossings; A formidable barrier to transport; Colonial road access to and from the Hawkesbury; Crossing the lower Hawkesbury: Pacific Highway and Peats Ferry Bridge |
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Sydney-Newcastle Freeway and M3 bridgeCrossing the upper Hawkesbury: Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong Road Bridge and Bridge Street Bridge; Crossing the tributaries and other historical titbits; Crossings other than bridges: vehicular ferries; GUILTY, Death, aged 30: the remarkable life of Solomon Wiseman; 12 Barrier II -- railway crossings; The 1889 Brooklyn railway bridge; The 1946 replacement bridge; A railway line to the west: the Richmond-Kurrajong line; One peculiar type of barrier; 13 Conduit -- boats and shipping; Why was shipping so important?; Early shipping and ship-building |
| Summary |
A definitive account of the natural history of the Hawkesbury River and the pivotal role it has played in history. The Hawkesbury River is the longest coastal river in New South Wales. A vital source of water and food, it has a long Aboriginal history and was critical for the survival of the early British colony at Sydney. The Hawkesbury's weathered shores, cliffs and fertile plains have inspired generations of artists. It is surrounded by an unparalleled mosaic of national parks, including the second-oldest national park in Australia, Ku-ring-gai National Park. Although it lies only 35 km north of Sydney, to many today the Hawkesbury is a 'hidden river' - its historical and natural significance not understood or appreciated |
| Analysis |
Australian |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Subject |
Ecology -- Australia -- Hawkesbury River Region (N.S.W.)
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SCIENCE -- Earth Sciences -- Geography.
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SCIENCE -- Earth Sciences -- Geology.
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Ecology
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Social conditions
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| SUBJECT |
Hawkesbury River (N.S.W.) -- History
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Hawkesbury River (N.S.W.) -- Social conditions
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| Subject |
New South Wales -- Hawkesbury River
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New South Wales -- Hawkesbury River Region
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| Genre/Form |
History
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9780643107601 |
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0643107606 |
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