The Water Dreamers: The remarkable history of our dry continent

Winner, Colin Roderick Award, 2010. The Water Dreamers is a story for all Australians. For thousands of years, water has shaped where we live, how we struggle with each other and how we imagine our country. The first settlers' dreams of mighty inland rivers evaporated in the silent deserts of Australia. But the water dreamers refused to accept this disappointment. They saw a country that could be transformed by irrigation and hydro-engineering. Today, thanks to their vision, many of our rivers are in crisis and, more than ever, Australians realise that our destiny will be shaped by water. The Water Dreamers is an enthralling new account of Australian history and of who we are today. 'Both rollicking yarn and scholarly essay, this wonderful book offers an archaeology of our national psyche. With vivid imagery, irreverent wit and penetrating insight, Michael Cathcart exposes the cultural forces that still powerfully shape our plans for this land. The Water Dreamers is exhilarating to read-intelligent, wry and compelling.' Tom Griffiths