Backyards are wonderful things – they provide shady spots on a sunny day, a training ground for amateur sports, a place to relax make memories. On any given day you’ll find all sorts of people doing the same things along the banks of the Cooks River.
The Cooks River Alliance is excited to announce a new way of talking about/thinking about the Cooks River Catchment. ‘Our Backyard River’ is a campaign designed to create an inspiring shared language for the entire Cooks River Catchment.
Given the huge increase in density projected over the coming years, millions of dollars of State and Federal Government funding will be invested into improving some of the most polluted and neglected parts of the Cooks River. Already there are some future visions to make-over parts of the river but now is the time for the community to get involved in shaping what happens within their own backyards.
Plans for high density apartment buildings (Transport-Oriented Developments) in Ashfield, Banksia, Canterbury, Croydon, Dulwich Hill, Kogarah, Banksia, Lakemba, Punchbowl and Turella mean that the accessibility, health and urban cooling ability of the Cooks as the backyard to millions has never been more important.
From breeding endangered green and golden bell frog tadpoles in Greenacre to combating loneliness through ladies’ walking clubs in Tempe, getting kids (and grown-ups) off screens through sport in Hurlstone Park, litter clean-ups, canoe clubs and more, there is already a glimmer of what’s possible for the future of the river.
Our Backyard River features nine portraits & films of local heroes on billboards, bus-stops and online throughout April. The photos and films have been created by award-winning photographer Nic Walker and filmmaker Brook Mitchell to inspire the broader community to play a role in shaping the future of the Cooks.
The campaign is the first step in bringing together a previously uncoordinated management approach to the river, with a brand new Master Plan being developed around all the things that make the Cooks River unique. Local Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis said, “A Cooks River Master Plan will provide the foundation for restoring the health of our cherished waterway and its surrounding areas….I’m happy to support the creation of a Master Plan.”
Explore our backyard river here- ourbackyardriver.com.au
