Drought Country

The Dry Times That Have Shaped Australia

Robert Godfree

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English

CSIRO Publishing
03 February 2025

Social impact of environmental issues

Droughts have lurked behind Australia's major nation-shaping moments from European settlement at Port Jackson to Federation. They have caused catastrophic damage to Aboriginal, colonial and modern societies and, of course, to the very land itself. Indeed, by depriving us of water, that element most fundamental to life, droughts cut to the very essence of living in Australia.

Weaving historical accounts with scientific theory, Robert Godfree will take you on a journey through the most brutal Australian droughts of the past three centuries, encountering mythmaking, colonialism, smallpox, economic depression, a 'dust bowl', heatwaves, ecosystem collapse and the coming of the second 'age of coal'. With analysis and insights informed by his childhood in rural Australia and career in research science, he reflects on the choices made during each of these crises and looks to the future of what is becoming a more volatile and human-dominated continent.

Drought Country is a timely exploration of this continent's harsh climate, providing useful insights for land managers, the scientific community, environmentalists and general readers.

By: Robert Godfree
Imprint: CSIRO Publishing
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 245mm, Width: 170mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 750g
ISBN: 9781486314041
ISBN 10: 148631404X
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 03 February 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Cultural sensitivity warning Introduction: A land fertile for drought Part 1: Big feller dry 1: Legends 2: Calamity on the Coquun 3: Vanishing waters Part 2: An ingratious country 4: Unsettling times 5: The summer of discontent 6: An uncommon and tedious drought 7: Bass and the South Coast drought Part 3: A sky untroubled by clouds 8: The poverty of confinement 9: The stillness of death 10: Depressed times 11: Transitions Part 4: Hell’s half century 12: The Titan’s grip 13: The living drought 14: Niobe’s ruin 15: Crucified 16: The desert of dry bones Part 5: Life in the Anthropocene 17: River of tears 18: The great divide 19: What lies beneath 20: Day zero 21: Hung out to dry Conclusion: Obscured horizons Index

Robert Godfree is an ecologist who developed a passion for understanding the history and environmental impacts of drought while growing up in northern New South Wales. He has worked as a Research Scientist at CSIRO since 2000.