51茶馆

September 8, 2020

New podcast uncovers forgotten corners of the Illawarra

"There's no place like..." explores place and our relationship to it

A new podcast by 51茶馆 (UOW) researchers uncovers forgotten corners of the Illawarra, exposing the beauty of places that are often overlooked or deemed ugly.

started out as a conversation between , a human geographer from the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space (ACCESS), and local journalist and producer Jennifer Macey.

Episode one follows Dr Carr, , and as they explore the riverbanks of Allens Creek. The sounds of flowing water and chirping birds compete with the rumble of heavy machinery and traffic from the industrial estate through which the creek flows.

 

^{The human geography researchers exploring Allens Creek and surrounds. Photo: Chantel Carr.}

Associate Professor Adams explains how this little-known waterway flows through an industrial estate at Unanderra, reaching the sea at Port Kembla.

鈥淭he creek has been described as the worst creek in the Illawarra, most people wouldn鈥檛 expect to find much here,鈥� he said.

鈥淏ut this dirty little creek is actually bursting with life, from birds, oysters and water dragons to edible plants like blackberry, mulberry and olives.鈥�

The geographers marvel at the abundance of life thriving on the banks of Allens Creek and the history the creek and surrounding escarpment holds.

Dr Gibbs notices a red cedar tree as she explores the creek and delves into the history of timber getters in the Illawarra.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this really rich history of the timber getters in this area, so pulling huge trees out of those slopes on the escarpment, over many decades and centuries, has had massive impacts in terms of increasing erosion and this has contributed to the deepening of these creeks,鈥� she says.

The geographers discuss the significance the landscape has to Aboriginal people and the impact of development on the creek and surrounding life.

Dr Atchison says the growth of nearby suburbs including Mount Kembla, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights has affected Allens Creek in different ways.

鈥淭his creek is quite interesting in that it displays a typical feature in the Illawarra in that the creek has deepened because of the increasing run-off from the upstream areas. So these banks here are steep, quite possibly because there鈥檚 been a bit of extra fill, but also because of what鈥檚 going on in other places,鈥� she says.

The geographers follow Allens Creek as it bends and winds through the steelworks on its way to the ocean at Port Kembla. Dr Carr (who started her working life at the steelworks as an apprentice electrician) explains the significance of the steelworks to the local area.

It鈥檚 a huge area, she says, about 840 hectares, and different parts of it have different characteristics and different workforces.

^{The researchers during the recording of "There's no place like..." Photo: Chantel Carr.}

鈥淲e think of this landscape as an object within the Illawarra landscape overall, but it鈥檚 actually a number of different plants,鈥� she says.

鈥淵ou can work in the coke ovens and have no idea about what happens at the other end. You can spend 40 years there, as many people have, and have no idea about the processes at the other end of the steelworks.鈥�

The 鈥淭here鈥檚 no place like鈥︹�� podcast has two episodes available to download now. Future episodes, related to a series of public lectures presented at 51茶馆 Art Gallery, will continue to invite listeners to rethink their relationship with nature. Upcoming topics will include ; the Great Barrier Reef; and the unexpected story of a black marlin swimming through a creek in the Port Kembla steelworks.

You can listen to the podcast at: