Everything Is Water

‘I want to go with the river’s flow, not against it. I want to follow where the river leads – to listen, to observe, hopefully to learn.’

When novelist and experienced hiker Simon Cleary sets off to follow the course of the river that has so influenced his life, he hopes that by walking its banks – from its source to where it empties into the bay – he will better understand the power and impact of this immense waterway on the environment and communities who rely on it.

Cleary’s ambitious journey, alone and with companions, explores the way rivers connect landscapes, ecologies, histories, communities and myth. But his journey along the unpredictable and magnificent Brisbane River threatens to be cut short by one of the wettest autumn months on record. Over four eventful weeks and 344 kilometres we are witness to the river in all its beauty and fury.

Everything is Water considers our complex relationship with nature through flood, drought, time and place. It is an inspiring pilgrimage that invites us to connect with nature and also to navigate our own path.

‘Everything is Water is a fearless, wondrous and irresistible account of a river journey and like any spirited journeyer, Cleary is awed, challenged and humbled at every bend, crossing and perilous flood point of the river he lives alongside, but hadn’t fully known.’ Sally Piper, Author of The Geography of Friendship

‘If you are a lover of fine nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane and Nan Shepherd, Everything is Water is a work to put on the bookshelf. It is also a perfect example of how a regional landscape – in this case, the Brisbane River and its immediate environs – can, in all its particularity, take on a universal, almost mythic dimension.’ The Sydney Morning Herald

‘Everything is Water is a timely reminder of the rich beauty and rewards to be found so close to home.’ The Guardian

‘Simon Cleary has applied a novelist’s powers of observation with a barrister’s powers of analysis to produce a reminder of the full body of the “brown snake” that so defines our state’s capital [Brisbane].’ InQueensland

‘Cleary’s humility and reverence for water underscores a powerful communion rivers such as the Maiwar can give those seeking solace beyond the strictures of our cities. At a time of devastating environmental destruction, Everything Is Water is an expansive tribute to a waterway defined by its natural grandeur and resilience.’ The Saturday Paper

‘Intimate and profound, this book explores the river, bearing the reader through time and space towards somewhere new.’ James Bradley, Author of Deep Water

‘Cleary’s narrative is lyrical and compelling, interspersed with musings on geological time, the nature of the river’s force and flow, other significant journeys, Australian history, and the people who inhabit the land. I enjoyed being transported by this book to the joyous simplicity of following a river and living curiously.’ Books+Publishing

‘.. a stunning achievement that is part travelogue but also quite scientific interrogating the geography, ecology, the flora and fauna glimpsed along the way and it’s also meditative, philosophical and historical.’ InReview

‘This is a beguiling book, not only taking the reader along that river, and sometimes onto roads and rail trails, but also into Cleary’s mind as he charts his progress, slipping in pieces of historical research, opinions and musings about rivers around the world, and their place in people’s lives.’ Good Reading

‘Cleary’s journey reminds us of the importance of taking the slower path, the more difficult path. Even if not all of us would have wanted to share that often arduous trek with him, we can all be grateful that he has shared it with us.’ Australian Book Review

‘…intelligently written and provides food for thought about how people interact with the forces of nature.’ Queensland Reviewers Collective