What happens when we see the health of a river and the health of its communities as deeply intertwined?

Bringing together voices from Cooks River Alliance, Finding Nature, Regen Sydney and Wild Hope, this conversation will explore the initiatives already taking root.

Along the Cooks River, people and organisations are working to restore the waterway and reconnect neighbourhoods with the rhythms of the river. We’ll hear about Our Backyard River, the Alliance’s ambitious catchment-wide campaign, and its vision to rethink how we manage the river and our relationship to it. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the movement to make the Yarra River swimmable again shows what can happen when community momentum aligns with public leadership.

Yet sometimes we find ourselves stuck in the mud of bureaucracy. This conversation offers a chance to return to the stories, experiences and connections that inspire us.

Our relationship with rivers rarely begins with policy. It starts with morning light glinting on the water, the arc of a swallow at dusk, or the simple feeling of belonging to a place.

Together, we’ll explore what becomes possible when we re-story our relationship with the Cooks River — and imagine a future where healthy rivers and healthy communities can thrive together.

Book via Humanitix here.