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NASA satellite photograph of the Cooks River
NASA satellite photograph of the Cooks River

The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore. It serves as part of a stormwater system for the 100 square kilometres of its watershed, and many of the original streams running into it have been turned into concrete lined channels. Stormwater is a term used to describe water that originates during precipitation events The tidal sections support significant areas of mangroves, bird, and fish life, and are used for recreational activities. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two

Contents

Course

Cooks River, near Sydney Airport
Cooks River, near Sydney Airport
Cooks River, Princes Highway bridge between Tempe and Wolli Creek
Cooks River, Princes Highway bridge between Tempe and Wolli Creek
Cooks River, railway bridge between Tempe and Wolli Creek
Cooks River, railway bridge between Tempe and Wolli Creek
The Cooks River flowing through Hurlstone Park into Marrickville
The Cooks River flowing through Hurlstone Park into Marrickville

The river commences at Graf Park, Yagoona, then flows approximately north-west direction through to Chullora. Yagoona is a Suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Chullora is a Suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It reaches its northern-most point at Strathfield, where it leads into a concrete open canal and heads towards the south-east. Strathfield is an Inner West Suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag Part of the river, where it runs through Strathfield Golf Course, has had the concrete lining removed and the plants have returned and create an environment where the water is filtered and runs clean, and wildlife has returned. One section here is called the Chain of Ponds.

At Belfield it joins with the Cox Creek Channel and flows in an easterly direction. Belfield is a Suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The canal widens and deepens as it picks up stormwater from surrounding suburbs, such as Campsie and becomes influenced by tidal action. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Campsie is a Suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

At Canterbury, it is joined by Cup and Saucer Creek. Canterbury is a Suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cup and Saucer Creek is a Storm drain located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Industrial areas line the Cooks River at Canterbury. In the past, factories discharged their waste directly into the water.

The valley becomes more pronounced as the river reaches Tempe, where it is joined by Wolli Creek and the Alexandra Canal. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Tempe is a Suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Alexandra Canal is an artificial waterway in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Princes Highway crosses the Cooks River and links Tempe to Wolli Creek. The Princes Highway is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 that extends from Sydney to Adelaide and Port Augusta South Australia Tempe is a Suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

The course of the final south-flowing section of river is entirely artificial, altered to accommodate the expanding Kingsford Smith International Airport. Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport), is located in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. Cooks River connects with Botany Bay at Kyeemagh. Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. Kyeemagh is a Suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

The corridor of land beside the river is a conduit for many services along large parts of its length including electricity, high voltage lines, a high pressure oil pipe owned by Shell, and high volume sewage pipes. Many of the lower lying areas have been filled and are parks and sports grounds. In spite of this the river and adjacent lands are being recognised for their beauty, history, amenity, environmental value, if not also for potential for improvements. The walkway and cycleway beside much of the "river" is part of the path connecting Sydney Olympic Park with Botany Bay.

Political Responsibility

The Cooks River flowing through Hurlstone Park
The Cooks River flowing through Hurlstone Park

Care and control of the river is shared between many local councils and the New South Wales Government through agencies such as:

Environmental Issues

Cooks River is joined by Cup and Saucer Creek
Cooks River is joined by Cup and Saucer Creek

The Cooks River has a catchment area of 100 square kilometres, within the metropolitan areas of Sydney enclosed by urban environments and extensive recreational areas. Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled Cup and Saucer Creek is a Storm drain located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The human population of this area is over 400,000 people. There are over 100,000 commercial and industrial premises. The river has typical water catchment management problems characteristic of heavily urbanised areas, including:

A group of local Councils fund the RiverLife Project which trains tour guides and organises interpretive walking and cycling tours of the "river" most weekends. Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region it refers to the Ground cover provided by plants A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Hydrology (from Greek Yδωρ hudōr, "water" and λόγος logos, "study" is the study of the movement distribution and quality of A nutrient is food or chemicals that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms

History

Industrial areas along the Cooks River at Canterbury.
Industrial areas along the Cooks River at Canterbury.

Prior to European Settlement, the river was part of the area owned by the Cadigal people. The Cadigal, also spelled as Gadigal, are a group of Aboriginal Australians who originally inhabited the area that they called 'Cadi' part of which later became The Indigenous Australian population used the river by fishing and gathering shellfish. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. This had little effect on the river's natural ecology. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of

In 1770, Captain Cook sailed into Botany Bay and made the first written description of the river as follows: "I found a very fine stream of fresh water on the north side in the first sandy cove within the island before which a ship might lay land-locked and wood for fuel may be got everywhere. Year 1770 ( MDCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Friday Captain James Cook FRS RN ( – 14 February 1779) was an English Explorer, Navigator and Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. "

The existence of the river appeared to make settlement a possibility, however when the First Fleet arrived the river and valley was regarded as unsuitable. The First Fleet is the name given to the 11 Ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales. Captain John Hunter and Lieutenant Bradley both mentioned the shallowness of the water and large swamp areas. Vice-Admiral John Hunter, RN ( 29 August 1737 &ndash 13 March 1821) was a British naval officer and colonial A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water

The first land grants along the river tended to be fairly large and used mostly for grazing and timber with some fishing and lime burning at Botany Bay. Grazing generally describes a type of Predation in which an Herbivore feeds on Plants (such as Grasses, or more broadly on a multicellular Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or Governor Macquarie makes reference to a slender bridge in his 1810 diary, adding that "the soil is bad and neither good for tillage or pasturage". Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB (31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824 Scottish Gaelic spelling Lachlan MacGuaire) British military officer For other uses of the term 'diary' see Diary (disambiguation. Nevertheless, some farmers did find they could till the land and settlement along the river spread, and roads and crossings were made in several places.

In the 1830s a dam was build across the river, however this did not provide a clean water supply and the structure itself began to damage the river's ecology by preventing tidal flushing of deposited urban silt. Events and trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood

A second dam was built to serve a Sugar Mill at the new village of Canterbury Vale. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Canterbury is a Suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The location took advantage of the water supply and barge transport. BARGE, the Big August RecGambling Excursion is a yearly convention held in Las Vegas during the first weekend of August The Mill closed in 1855, however other polluting industries were later to follow including wool washes, tanneries and boiling down works. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Tanning is the process of converting Putrescible skin into non-putrescible Leather, usually with Tannin, an Acidic Chemical compound

Despite the increasingly doubtful quality of the water, the river remained a popular place in the late nineteenth century for boating, picnics and swimming. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar A boat is a Watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water and provide transport over it In contemporary usage picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a Meal is eaten outdoors ( Al fresco or En plein air Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance By the 1880s tree clearing resulted in erosion, silting and expansion of reed beds, blocking river flow. Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of Electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial grass found in Wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the

On the weekend of 25-27 May 1889, 425 millimetres of rain inundated all the low lying land. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge At the height of the flood, the top of the Sugarworks Dam was covered by 2 metres of water. Authorities responded to the extensive damage and loss of animals by removing the dams and weirs. A proposed series of canals connecting the river with Sydney Harbour was not commenced.

Concreting of the river banks was commenced in the 1930s and the Cooks River Improvement Act of 1946 confirmed the policy this tidying up of an undisciplined stream within neat cement boundaries. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together Engineers diverted the original river mouth to accommodate Sydney airport runways. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport), is located in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land.

Initiatives from 1976 onwards have attempted to preserve and return the natural features of the river system with tree planting, pollution traps and landscaping. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land including but not limited to living elements, such as Footpaths and a cycle track were built to increase recreational usage of the river. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind

The NSW State Government has committed $2. 9 million to the restoration of the sheet piling on the banks of the river[1].

In November 2007 the Federal Australian Labor Party, then in opposition, made an announcement of $2million for environmental projects on the Cooks River [2]. Subsequently, Labor was elected to government.

References

  1. ^ Cooks River Remediation - 07/06/2006 - PRIV - NSW Parliament
  2. ^ Labor to fund Sydney river if elected, Sydney Morning Herald, November 18 2007, http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Labor-to-fund-Sydney-river-if-elected/2007/11/18/1195321595385.html

External links

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