My father put them up there: Anthropogenic environmental change associated with abandoned river vessels in the Clarence River, NSW, Australia

Abstract

The Clarence River (New South Wales, Australia) was the main transport corridor for the timber and sugar cane industries operating in the catchment from the 1860s to the 1970s. Using archaeological, documentary, and oral historical resources we explore some of the anthropogenic impacts of these industries upon the fluvial geomorphology of the lower Clarence River. In particular, the deliberate abandonment of obsolete vessels on the river system is a focus. These discarded former cane and timber barges have been used as erosion control devices in several areas around the Harwood Island sugar mill, resulting in the accumulation of sediments and the establishment of mangrove environments in what were degraded areas.