A Clear Flowing Yarra

by Harry Saddler

They say you can't step in the same river twice, and it's true that the Yarra has been hugely changed - but this book is a glorious and timely reminder that things can also be changed for the better.

Nature writer Harry Saddler hops, skips and jumps his way along, beside, on and even in the Yarra River from source to mouth, reveling in its hidden beauty, getting close to platypuses, kingfishers, Krefft's gliders and the occasional seal, and meeting many of the swimmers, bushwalkers, ecologists and traditional owners who are quietly and tenaciously restoring the river, patch by patch.

Optimistic, inspiring and heartfelt, A Clear Flowing Yarra is a passionate love letter to the river that shapes Melbourne, and an evocative vision of what it is now and what it can be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Nature, Book Club

246 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2023

Reviews

[Kashmira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly joyous! A love letter to the river!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book by Harry. Now I have to wait for him to write another book.

[Stacey 📚📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love letter to a formerly malaligned Melbourne Landmark!

It ended up being way better than I expected, and flowed reay well!

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely ode to the Yarra/Birrarung and a gentle appeal for its continued conservation and restoration. It loses a star for feeling slightly rushed/padded out in some chapters. Overall though, recommended reading for anyone that is lucky enough to be the beneficiary of the Yarra and its catchments.

[Jasmin Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joyous read - Saddler's passion for the Yarra/Birrarung and urban nature spotting is truly infectious. It was like going on a walk with a very very enthusiastic friend though beyond being just a love letter to the river - and the nature, recreation, history and social spaces it supports - Saddler also engages with a large range of other enthusiasts, providing the reader with a mix of anecdotal and factual evidence as to why the Birrarung is so important and why we need to reframe how we view the river and start caring for it better.

This book has me excited to start engaging with my local area more and has me wanting to go spotlighting, glider watching and killing for a swim (I am also very jealous about his platypus sighting!!!) Ultimately I think my experience of the book can be summed up with this quote - "Everyone loves the river and respects it, they just don't know it yet".

[Sarah Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute Melbourne book and a gift from Claire - the book is an easy read and I found the author poured a lot of his quirky (and very anxious) personality into the pages. Quite fanatic and tangent like about ecology but honestly reminded me a lot of my bird watcher friend nick so I kinda found it funny. Really loved his appreciation for the Yarra and expanding the Melbourne view of just being a brown waste dump essentially.

[Marika Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book this much. Lovely use of language that is almost like describing a long time friend to a new acquaintance. Learned some new things about a river I’ve live near for 20 years and looking forward to exploring it anew.

[Sharyn Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Harry Saddler book after reading The Eastern Curlew.
As others have said a joy to read although I would have liked photos and a map.
I was reading the chapter on seals in the Yarra the same day humpback whales were sighted in the Yarra for the first time since records have been written. I could imagine how excited Harry would have been.
I also went to see the reclaiming Birrarung River exhibition in the Fed Square gallery- a 70 year vision.
I hope my grandchildren will see the river running freely and respected as the life line for all that live in its sphere of influence.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saddler explains towards the end of this set of essays, why he chose to use the official name of Melbourne's muddy river rather than its traditional name, Birrarung. What we have now, he says, is that what we see is a misunderstood river - that the words the Yarra evoke scorn when it should be wonder (my paraphrasing) and only perhaps if we change our perspective could we see Birrarung. It is also an acknowledgement that Indigenous perspectives are absent from this book.
But it is the first intent which I wanted to focus on to start. This book has been suggested a couple of times to me, but only when it popped up on the PM Literary Awards shortlist did I decide to read it. In full disclosure I tried asking my partner to read it instead. "Do you want to read a book on the Yarra?", I asked. He looked at me perplexed. "It's supposed to be quite good", I added helpfully. "Why don't you want to read it?" was the obvious question. "I'm just not very fond of the Yarra", I pointed out, "You like Melbourne a lot more than I do.". "Well, but I don't really like the Yarra", he said. "I mean, I don't think anybody really likes the Yarra". (He did not read the book, hence I did)
This inescapable reputational problem is confronted pretty directly by Saddler (I think now the subtitle, "A Clear Flowing River" was likely supposed to be provocative, but just implied to me unreasonable rose-tinted perspectives) at the start. The Yarra, he points out, is more a sight of jokes about its terribleness than love. People are more likely to joke about dead bodies floating in it than they are to actually swim in it (which to be fair, is not safe for much of the length). Saddler, however, takes us to a different side of the river (quite literally at times), focusing on the marsupials, birds, mammals and occasional reptile who make the banks and waters their home. The essays largely chronicle a pandemic and post-pandemic discovery journey for Saddler (and the book is highly reminiscent and evocative of the pandemic years), as he explores the river on foot, bike and eventually, by flotation. His Yarra is an abused beauty, a natural ecosystem beset by pollution, weeds, rubbish dumping and climate change, but still operating as a lifeline for species that have lived in the region for millennia. This book is largely nature memoir, less languid than Thoreau, but in the same tradition of writing about how nature makes you feel by writing about it.
Saddler also profiles the various defenders of the river, those Melbournians who devote their time and energies to restoration, rubbish clean up, swimming groups and advocacy. Through interviews, he sketches the complexity of solutions, the frustration with work which must be done carefully and slowly and with a long-term eye, in the face destruction which is often swift and unbalancing. Nevertheless, he imbues this with a hope, based on the small successes, a glimpse, which is very pandemic-like, of a different way of life within our reach.
Having said that, for much of the book, as someone who lives in a bush-rich environment, I had my superior eye rolling moments about Melbourne. The sheer excitement at seeing marsupials just an hour's travel away highlights how very alienated our cities are from our ecosystem. This is a vision of how we could live, but it is a long way from how most Melbournians do live, and the sheer exhilaration at seeing other species go about their lives uninterested in humanity and our stuff, is a reminder that an experience which should be commonplace has become exotic.

[Smitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This conversational book is great introduction to the diverse needs of the river that flows the heart of Melbourne and the many community groups that spring up along her length to care for and nurture the 4000 square kilometres of catchment that feeds it.
In alternating chapters, Harry Saddler focuses on the animals that call the river home, and the people who are passionate about its care and use. The style makes this book easy to read, perfect for those who just want to read an occasional chapter while still learning about one of Victoria's biggest rivers. It will inspire the urge to walk or cycle alongside the river or travel into the Dandenongs to visit the upper reaches to see if you can spot one of the many animals Saddler is so enthusiastic about.
If you are looking for a great depth of knowledge this book might not be for you, but if you want a enthusiastic introduction by an author who clearly cares deeply about his local river this is the book for you. It will inspire you too get involved if you live along the Yarra, and if you live further afield it will get you interested in your local waterway and the part it plays as a habitat and community resource.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very pleasant book about my local river, which I am very familiar with since walking from the mouth to the Yarra Valley (which can be almost achieved entirely on public land!).

The chapters alternate between conversations with people who care for the river and enthusiastic rambling (which borders on slightly unhinged babbling) about the wildlife on the river. It’s quite fun.

I agree with Saddler that Birrarung / the Yarra is unfairly maligned by Melburnians and Australians from other cities. I also agree with him that we need to change the way we talk about and relate to it. Maybe one day I’ll try walking along it at dusk or in the darkness to spot animals, but it’s more likely that I’ll just remember to take a bag with me so I can remove rubbish when I’m next there.

Everyone who lives near the Yarra should read it!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never write reviews, but feel compelled for this great book. As a blow in from Western Australia, where the Swan River was my playground, I admit to initially seeing the Yarra as nothing more than its stereotype. 20 odd years later, everything I feel about the Yarra has been summed up in this book.
My friends and I are just as obsessed with looking for different things along the Yarra and the Plenty, we just don’t have the knowledge. Thanks for providing that knowledge. I enjoyed reading many pages along the Yarra in Warrandyte.
I can’t wait to recommend the book to my fellow explorers. I know they will love it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how the authors passion and love for the river shone through.
It was a bit disjointed in places, and at times it felt like the author was nattering on a bit, to pad out the chapter - and he even admits to working towards a word count - not really what you want to hear when reading.
A map would've been nice, but not essential. Overall, a good book and an easy read

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anecdotal account of the author's experiences along the Yarra River interspersed with interviews with people dedicated to its care. He describes many places I have visited with loving attention to detail as well as encounters with wildlife along the river, which are some of the best sections of this rather rambling book.

[Trish Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors' passion and conversational style made for a light and easy non fiction read. I really enjoyed learning more about our local natural environment. Many mentions of walks taken during Melbourne lockdowns made for a very relatable read and reminded me of the silver lining to that dark time.

[River-Chantal Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reiterates a lot of perspective and understanding about Birrarung's ecology and the fight to protect in in the long term. Reminds me of some of the work I did in uni and motivates me to keep doing the work I do to protect the Birrarungs ecology and culture.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful easy read that makes me want to get into wildlife watching ASAP

[Tricia Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful,heartfelt read that will change your perception on the Birrarung(Yarra) river.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read much of this book down in Alphington wetlands, it's a beautiful read and certainly added to my appreciation of the Birrarung

[Damien Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. The author's enthusiasm for seeing wildlife is inspiring.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

so wholesome and hopeful and life-affirming if you love animals and nature. thank you for writing this sweet book.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read from this author, as I always find his books both informative and entertaining.