River Country: stories of change from the Murray–Darling river system (a virtual excursion)

Visit the National Museum’s Great Southern Land gallery and join Museum Education Officer Brendan on a journey through time as he explores the Murray–Darling river system and encourages students to think about the rivers, creeks and waterways in their own local area.

Objects from the Museum’s collection help tell the story of the Murray–Darling river system, which stretches from southern Queensland through much of New South Wales and Victoria, to South Australia. From deep time to the present, these objects reveal how River Country has changed through interactions between people, other animals, plants and water.

Throughout the video, students take part in activities, discussion questions and a guided drawing exercise. The video also shares the story of First Nations students honouring the Barka (Darling River) near Menindee in western NSW after low water flows caused large-scale fish deaths in 2019.

Developed with support from the James Fairfax Foundation and the Sydney Environment Institute.