Bad River

The Cooks River Australias sickest urban river is located in the glamorous and famously pretty city of Sydney This makes sense given its also Australias largest hardsurfaced drainified leakysewered city In my little red kayak I decided to trace all 23km of the Cooks River inspired to do so after paddling my boyhood river over 4 days in the name of Backyard Adventuring Finding it not only challenging but shocking in terms of its ill health Ive since shifted from wanting to see the wildest and most pristine places on earth to the most degraded and sick This is a journey of illhealth sadness and hope putting a test to the local saying if you fall in youll dissolve