Walking the Murray, Reading Swan Hill

On 21 March 2021, local readers went for a literary river walk along the Murray in Swan Hill.

This walk invited members of the public to encounter the rich and diverse literary history of the river through situated readings of poetry, prose and local history.

It began at the James Belsar Reserve and proceeded along the river for a distance of 1.3km, concluding with the opportunity for coffee and conversation at Spoons Riverside cafe.

Reporting on the event, Lucy Williams wrote:

RMIT and Deakin universities are teaming up with the Swan Hill Regional Library to offer locals a literary tour of our town.

The river walk along the Murray will contain poetry readings, some interactive performances and tales of local history, and is part of the Reading the Mallee research project sponsored by these three organisations in addition to the Australian Research Council.

RMIT Lecturer Dr Brigid Magner said the group were motivated by the success of a similar 2019 walk in Mildura.

Working with Deakin academics Dr Emily Potter and Dr Torika Bolatagici, Dr Magner said they are keen not to merely replicate the Mildura event but to look at literary works specific to Swan Hill.

Some notable authors on the list will include Indigenous writer Fabienne Bayet-Charlton whose moving novel Watershed is set in a fictional town along the Murray and features the Murray COd. A notable scene of women disrobing for a rain dance echoes an event some Ouyen locals may remember from the early 2000s.

Another notable title is Nancy Cato’s All the Rivers Run, alongside the poetry of Don Shaw Neilson.

“A lot of 90 and 80 year olds could probably recite some of that poetry, but we want to remind people of the amazing literary history here, while giving attention to a whole lot of other names,” Dr Magner said.

Dr Magner said the Mallee is referenced in a range of work, not just in so-called highbrow literature. This part of the world increasingly features in gritty, rural noirs and also as settings in YA she explained.

You can read Williams’ article in its entirety here.