Goolwa/Toowoomba Basin Bytes
Goolwa/Toowoomba Basin Bytes is a community-based project using digital photography and text to encourage members of the community to explore issues that relate to cultural heritage and natural resource management in their location.
Goolwa has a population of 7500 people and is located 83 km and one hours drive southeast from Adelaide, South Australia. Goolwa is a historic port with a rich history of local industries connected with the river and the sea.
Toowoomba has a population of around 90,000 and is 128 km west of Brisbane. It is also known as the 'Garden City of Queensland' and is the main commercial centre for the fertile Darling Downs region.
These two locations are at extreme ends of the Murray-Darling Basin catchment system. This system extends from Queensland to South Australia and includes three quarters of New South Wales and half of Victoria. It is the heartland and the economic centre of rural Australia, covering one-seventh of the Australian continent with a population of nearly two million people. The basin is a system that faces considerable environmental challenges which have a direct impact upon the lives and lifestyles of many rural communities.
The two groups decided to organise their images and text into six thematic areas: industry, environment, water, living, people, recreation and indigenous to illustrate the perspectives of two distinct but connected communities.
Disclaimer: The Goolwa-Toowoomba Basin Bytes gallery is a community generated website. The stories and opinions expressed here are those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the position of the National Museum of Australia nor the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. They are presented to inform discussion about the Basin's natural resources.