Australia's major river system is collapsing. Parts of it are dying; parts of it are already dead. Australia's most significant river no longer reaches the sea. I look out into the dim autumn light and wonder once again how it has come to this . . .

Join award-winning author Chris Hammer on a journey through Australia's largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin. His travels during the crippling millennium drought take us through riverland communities, sharing the laughter, sadness and reflections of the people he meets along the way.

The River looks past the daily news reports and their sterile statistics to reveal the true impact of our rivers' decline on the people who live along their shores, and on the country as a whole. It's a tale that leaves the reader with nostalgia for an Australia that may be fading away forever.

First published in 2010, The River continues to be read as a history, as a prophecy – and as both. This updated edition includes a new introduction from the author.