River Stories, 2025-27
River Stories is a series of art installations and performances happening across three states that respond to one of Australia’s ongoing problems – how
to care better for the Murray-Darling waterways and the peoples, plants and animals of the river system’s communities. Acknowledging the politics of conflict that so often define this issue, River Stories will bring together artists, scientists, community, Indigenous leaders, local and national water managers in a series of projects that reconfigure sites of water conflict as places of exchange, connection and shared purpose.
Locations
St George, Queensland
St George is the largest centre in the western Condamine–Balonne catchment, which is home to nearly 10% of the Murray–Darling Basin population. Many First Nations groups maintain strong cultural and historical ties to the region’s rivers.
The area is important for agriculture, producing winter and summer crops as well as large cotton yields. Groundwater is widely used for irrigation, though extraction often exceeds natural recharge. Floodplains and wetlands support diverse plant life, native fish, waterbirds, and threatened species including Murray cod, silver perch, freckled duck, and Australian painted snipe.
Menindee, New South Wales
Menindee lies within the semi-arid Lower Darling catchment, where flat floodplains, low rainfall, and high evaporation strongly shape the river system. Most water flowing through the region comes from southern Queensland and northern New South Wales via the Barwon–Darling system. The Barka/Darling River is culturally significant to many First Nations, particularly the Barkandji Nation.
Grazing, wool production, irrigated farming, and tourism are important industries in the region. In 1968, the Menindee Lakes were modified to improve water storage and flood management, resulting in highly regulated river flows. The lakes and surrounding floodplains provide important habitat for waterbirds, aquatic life, river red gums, black box woodland, and chenopod shrublands.
Goolwa, South Australia
Goolwa is a historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia. In 2008–09, severe drought reduced the river to channels and mudflats, threatening the town and prompting calls for more upstream water releases. In 2009, the Clayton Regulator levee was built between Clayton Bay and Hindmarsh Island to protect the Goolwa Channel from acid sulfate soils.
In February 2024, the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre opened to study and adapt to climate change using both First Nations and scientific knowledge.
St George, Queensland
12 and 13 March 2027
Menindee, New South Wales
16 and 17 April 2027
Goolwa, South Australia
28 and 29 May 2027
Programs
Art installation and performance dates will be held over two evenings in each state. Sites will be announced later in the year.
Partners
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
The Department of Primary Industries supports sustainable agriculture, fisheries, biosecurity, and regional development through research, policy, and community partnerships that strengthen industries and protect natural resources.
Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council
The Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council preserves and promotes Aboriginal culture, knowledge, and community wellbeing, providing leadership, guidance, and advocacy for local families and future generations.
Menindee Central School
Menindee Central School delivers inclusive education from early learning to secondary years, supporting academic achievement, cultural connection, and strong community engagement in the Menindee region.
South West Indigenous Corporation
South West Indigenous Corporation empowers Aboriginal communities in the South West Queensland region through cultural programs, community development, and advocacy that support social, economic, and cultural wellbeing.
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is a leading Australian music institution offering world-class education, performance, and research programs that foster artistic excellence and creative innovation.
This project has been supported by the Australian Government through its principal arts investment and advisory body Creative Australia, the NSW Government through Create NSW, Minderoo Foundation, Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the University of Sydney, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, Menindee Central School and South West Indigenous Corporation.
