Our Plan
Our plan is to follow the flow of water on foot from its source, north to the Murray River, where diverse riverscapes and landscapes are encountered. The walk will take place as multiple ‘walking events’ along various sections of the river. Broadly, three bio-regional ‘sections’ include:
[1] Headwaters, Lyonville to Vaughan Springs
[2] Middle Reaches, Guildford to Bridgewater
[3] Floodplain, Serpentine to Little Murray
These sections hold a variety of environmental, historical, and cultural meanings that are understood and engaged with in different ways.
Why walk with the Loddon River?
Walking shares … that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world through the body and the body through the world.
(Solnit, 2001, p.29)
Walking is a rhythmic and creative mode of being-in-the-world that embraces the twin entanglements of movement and being moved by the river. Walking, writing, stories and reflecting are all part of the processes of gathering and sharing that are integral to walking with the Loddon River.
The nature of walking the line of a river is not simply following a blue line on a map as an abstract notion of place. Our intention is to walk ‘with’ the river, not simply walking along it. Walking with is a process of engaging with the river and the ways its many elements have been understood. These include:
* The nature of water
* Water and natural processes
* Water and its cultural significance
* Water as a resource
* Water and environmental values
The nature of this engagement has a community focus whereby people who have connections with the river will be invited to participate in the planned series of walking events. Our aim is to enable these connections to be gathered and shared by way of stories that ultimately contribute to understanding the Loddon River and fostering an ethic of care.
References:
Victorian Environmental Water Holder. https://www.vewh.vic.gov.au/rivers-and-wetlands/northern-region/loddon-river
Solnit, R. (2001). Wanderlust: A history of walking. New York, NY: Penguin Books.