Cooks River Interpretive Tour

Saw an ad in the community newspaper about the Riverlife project. It's a joint initiative of the councils of Marrickville, Canterbury and Strathfield, funded by Department of Environment and Conservation, to promote environmental awareness of the Cooks River through guided tours. The project does different kinds of tours, and the one I signed up for is called the Cooks River "Sweet & Sour" History and Photo Tour.

We start off at the Sugar Mill near the Canterbury train station. Our guides gave us a short history of the place, how the first migrants came to Canterbury, how the Sugar House evolved, etc. They also showed us old black-and-white photos of the river views and surroundings taken in the late 1800s and the early 1900s for comparison. We crossed the narrow bridge to the other side of the river, and walked along its bank. The guides provided a running commentary on the history of the river, the flora and fauna. We circled back to our original meeting place, then walked upstream to the Cup and Saucer Creek, then back again.

If you're wondering why it's called the "Sweet and Sour Tour", suggest you sign up for the tour as I've forgotten.