Settler perceptions of floods

“The British settlers perceived flooding as a problem of water control. As they had done for centuries throughout Europe, hydraulic engineers were employed in Australia to ‘control’, ‘tame’ and ‘harness’ rivers to mitigate floods. Australia became another ‘hydraulic society’, a society that is reliant on technology to manage water.” 

Margaret Cook (2019) A River with a City Problem: A History of Brisbane Floods x

Image: View of the South Brisbane Reach of the Brisbane River, ca. 1869. Courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, FL1157437.