Everything is Water

Summary

"I want to go with the river's flow, not against it. I want to follow where the river leads—to listen, to observe, hopefully to learn." When novelist and experienced hiker Simon Cleary sets off to follow the course of the river that has so influenced his life, he hopes that by walking its banks—from its source to where it empties into the bay—he will better understand the power and impact of this immense waterway on the environment and communities who rely on it. Cleary's ambitious journey, alone and with companions, explores the ways rivers connect landscapes, ecologies, histories, communities, and myth. But his journey along the unpredictable and magnificent Brisbane River threatens to be cut short by one of the wettest autumn months on record. Over four eventful weeks and 344 kilometers we are witness to the river in all its beauty and fury. Everything is Water considers our complex relationship with nature through flood, drought, time, and place. It is an inspiring pilgrimage that invites us to connect with nature and also to navigate our own path.