The river is something that brings people together. It’s a space for people to gather, it’s a focal point for community. It provides a beautiful setting for people to meet, to share, to talk, to enjoy each other’s company.

This episode of Goolay’yari Cooks River Radio is all about how our river and the other rivers in Eora/Sydney inspire people to join together, to care for and to fight for these beautiful natural spaces.

This month I went down to Customs House in Circular Quay to attend the biggest get-together of river lovers Eora/Sydney has ever seen, the Sydney Rivers Community Forum. I spoke with participants, organisers and presenters to get a picture of the biggest threats and most promising solutions for our river and all of Sydney’s urban waterways.

And as always we also have all your monthly River News for May 2026.

Guests: Sam Johnson, Amelia Mertha, Brian Keogh, Gareth Wreford, Jason L’Ecuyer, Chris Jordens, Danielle Ryan, Steph Lentz, Mark Fuller, Viv Sung

Host/producer: Niall Edwards-FitzSimons

Music by: riverkid

With thanks to Sam and Amelia from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, to all the presenters, all the participants I spoke to including Tim, Andrew, Matt, Eleanor, Sunil, Lianjing, Holly, Kiran, Sarah, Meredith, Peter, Peter and the many others whose names I didn’t get!

This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and the Bidjigal and we pay respect to elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Birds. Who doesn’t love birds?

They’re the colour and movement that draw people to the river. They’re the ambassadors for wildlife and nature experiences for people in the city. They’re so important, both for ecosystems and for our relationships to these places. When you go to the river, or listen to this show, birds are what you hear.

In today’s episode we head out onto the river for a morning of birdwatching with the Mudcrabs’ bird-obsessed offshoot, the Mudlarks. Since 2019 they’ve been meeting once a month without fail, come rain, hail or, like this morning, beautiful shine, and the data they’ve collected on their surveys has had a huge impact in tracking the returning health of the river.

We also have a report on the recent Cooks River Valley Association meeting, featuring a talk from local historian Paul Irish about the Aboriginal history of the river.

And we have all your monthly River News for April 2026.

Guests: Chris Rapp and Jamie Honan

Host/producer: Niall Edwards-FitzSimons

Music by: riverkid

With thanks to Jennifer Kent, Doug Benson, Simin Ordokhani, David Noble, Michael Bui, Richard Horsburgh, Louise Roberts and everyone else I spoke to from the Mudlarks, and also to Paul Irish, Ann Leahy, Peter Munro, Pilar Basa and Zoe Ferguson.

This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and the Bidjigal and we pay respect to elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever walked past a problem so many times you just had to jump in and sort it out? No matter the barriers? One man, working alone in the mangroves, did just that—and we're still feeling the impact today.

In this episode of Goolay'yari Cooks River Radio we have an interview with Alison Gibbs, founding member of the Mudcrabs and author of Celebrating 20 Years: The Mudcrabs Cooks River Eco Volunteers 2005–2025. She takes us through their early history and why the group is still so vital.

We also have the first edition of our segment Who Were They?, this month investigating the Beaman behind Beaman Park, Earlwood.

And a report capturing all the fun and community at the Muddy River Festival, including interviews with organisers, artists, performers, councillors and river defenders.

And of course we have all your monthly River News for March 2026.

Guest: Alison Gibbs

Host/producer: Niall Edwards-FitzSimons

Music by: riverkid

With thanks to Andy Tsanadis and the Canterbury-Bankstown Council librarians, Emily Cascarino, Olivia Barlow, Andrew Thomas, Pilar Basa, Jasmine Sarin, Zoe Ferguson and everyone else we spoke to at Muddy River Festival and at Beaman Park.

This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and the Bidjigal and we pay respect to elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.