How to Survive a Water Crisis: Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Abstract

Many of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia believe that all life emerges from pools of freshwater. It is not surprising that in a land of such extreme aridity and variability in rainfall, water would take on spiritual importance. The original Australians have lived with fickle and harsh climatic extremes for tens of thousands of years, learning to adapt and passing on this wisdom through generations.¹ Their understanding of weather fluctuations among seasons and years is reflected in their calendars, their language, their art, and their nomadic migrations. They have long known where to go to find edible plants or fish when the rains did not come.