More Than Human

Tim McIntosh-Hannah

Hey humans! Welcome to More Than Human, your guide to the porous and sometimes invisible boundaries between the human and non-human, the things we share with the other species, ecologies, geologies and more of planet Earth. Each episode introduces you to the individuals, groups and organisations redefining our relationship with the natural world, challenging us to interrogate our worldviews and relationships with the more-than-human.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    Living with Birrarung 2: Life and Law

    Hey Humans! In our second episode of Living with Birrarung, we’re zooming in on the people and powers that led to the creation of the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung muron) Act 2017 that recognised Birrarung as one, living and integrated entity.   This episode examines the relationship between settler-colonial and Traditional Owner law and how Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (the Yarra Strategic Plan 2022-2032) and the Birrarung Council that emerged from the 2017 Act are trying to find new ways to articulate and progress that relationship.  In this episode, we heard from:   Andrew Kelly, former Yarra Riverkeeper and convenor of The Waterway Network.   Claire Dunn, the Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan) Implementation Manager at Melbourne Water.   Dr Erin O’Donnell, from the Melbourne Law School and member of the Birrarung Council.   Uncle Andrew Gardiner, Wurundjeri Elder and now chair of the Birrarung Council.     Several documents and links are mentioned in this episode:   The Yarra Riverkeeper Association has a handy list of policies and legislation governing the river on their website: https://yarrariver.org.au/policies-and-legislation/     You can find out more about the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017, including access to a recording of the full address by Wurundjeri Elders to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria here.  Read about Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan) 2022-2032, including links to the most recent annual reports and community engagement plan produced by Melbourne Water here.  You can find out more about the Birrarung Council, including links to their most recent annual report (2025) at https://www.birrarungcouncil.vic.gov.au/  Read more about the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung vision for Birrarung, community and Country in Nhanbu narrun ba ngargunin twarn (Ancient Spirit and Lore of the Yarra).  Read more about the 50-year community visions for Birrarung, and watch the videos, here.   You can find out more about the Victorian Government’s Water is Life reforms here.  We also opened this episode with a story about the original Yarra Falls crossing on Birrarung, at the location of the current Queens Bridge. This story and many others are beautifully captures on the City of Melbourne’s Mapping Aboriginal Melbourne interactive website.    For even more, head to morethanhumanpod.net and click "Dive Deeper".  More Than Human is an independent podcast series produced by Tim McIntosh-Hannah and Mark Spencer (Here Media). You can contact us at morethanhumanpod.net/contact.

    53 min
  2. JAN 14

    Living with Birrarung 1: To Be Alive

    Hey humans! In our first episode of season one, Living with Birrarung, we're diving straight into the question of what it means for a river to be alive. Birrarung was recognised as "one, integrated and living entity" in Victorian legislation in 2017. Since then, the ripples of that recognition have become waves that continue to influence policy, governance, community action, and our relationship with the river today. In this episode we heard from: Uncle Andrew Gardiner, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder and member of the Birrarung Council. Read more about the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung vision for Birrarung, community and Country in Nhanbu narrun ba ngargunin twarn (Ancient Spirit and Lore of the Yarra).  Dr Erin O'Donnell from the Melbourne Law School and member of the Birrarung Council. You can find out more about the Birrarung Council at https://www.birrarungcouncil.vic.gov.au/.  Emma Barnett, Community Engagement and Education Officer at the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. You can find out more about the Yarra Riverkeeper Association's work at https://yarrariver.org.au/.  Juanita Sundberg’s 2014 paper, Decolonising Posthumanist Geographies is a good starting point for some of Juanita’s ideas Emma introduced this episode.   Andrew Kelly, author and convenor of the Waterways Network, and former Yarra Riverkeeper. You can view and download the Concerned Waterways Alliance's report on the living entity and the planning scheme mentioned in this episode here. Andrew Kelly's children's book Prayer for a River was written with Uncle Glenn Loughrey and is published by Wild Dog Books.  Charity Mosienyane, lead convenor of the Swimmable Birrarung project at Regen Melbourne. You can read more about the Swimmable Birrarung project at https://www.regen.melbourne/.  You can find out more about the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017, including access to a recording of the full address by Wurundjeri Elders to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria here. For even more, head to morethanhumanpod.net and click "Dive Deeper". More Than Human is an independent podcast series produced by Tim McIntosh-Hannah and Mark Spencer (Here Media). You can contact us at morethanhumanpod.net/contact.

    37 min

About

Hey humans! Welcome to More Than Human, your guide to the porous and sometimes invisible boundaries between the human and non-human, the things we share with the other species, ecologies, geologies and more of planet Earth. Each episode introduces you to the individuals, groups and organisations redefining our relationship with the natural world, challenging us to interrogate our worldviews and relationships with the more-than-human.