Back Roads: June 18

Tonight on Back Roads Heather Ewart is in the Murray River region, meeting locals who’ve weathered droughts & floods.

Heather Ewart embarks on a voyage of discovery along the southern Murray River. Life on the Murray might ebb and flow from day to day, but Heather meets the locals who’ve weathered both the droughts and floods. Drifting through South Australia, Heather experiences the many shades of the Murray from its bountiful Riverland, to the spectacular golden limestone cliffs of Big Bend and the sometimes-stressed wetlands that are the key to keeping the river healthy.

The Millennium drought has challenged the river communities as well as the mighty Murray itself. Many settlements have had to fight to keep services as crucial as the ferries that connect them all. Others have diversified their farming ventures, whilst still other groups are working to recharge both the fragile landscape and its cultural heritage. One way or another, they have all been determined to find a way to continue living along the river that dominates their lives.

The PS – or Paddle Steamer – Marion is more than 120 years old and is one of the few operating wood-fired steamers in the world. Captain Dick Bromhead is one of the hundreds of volunteers who have helped restore her since she last sailed in these waters in 1963. Dick’s been working on boats for most of his life and has a passion for restoring them. One of them was even his home for 20 years.

8pm Monday June 18 on ABC.