xi Acknowledgements This book could not have happened without not only the contributors but also the many people who helped me along the way. I thank all the contributors for their patience and perseverance as they documented their stories of the rivers. Michelle Rodrigo, Vol Norris and Adam Kerezsy were invaluable, not only contributing, but also in guiding, advising and editing. Many others helped as anonymous reviewers of the contributions – a debt I owe you all because your reviews substantially improved the quality of the chapters. I thank the organisations, including Desert Channels Queensland, the Pew Foundation and the Australian Floodplain Association, who helped with the 2013 ‘Lake Eyre Basin Under the Spotlight’ conference in Longreach, which was the genesis of this book. Some particular individuals contributed to make the conference happen, including Amber Davis, Angus Emmott, Tom Crothers, Terry Korn, Adam Kerezsy, Rupert Quinlan and Barry Trail. Of course, all the people who turned up and contributed enthusiastically have in no small way shaped this book. From Desert Channels Queensland, Alun Hoggett manned the camera and audio while Mark Kleinschmidt coordinated the subsequent transcriptions which formed the bases of the chapters. Finally, I thank Diane Harshbarger, who had the unenviable job of helping me pull the figures and references together for each of the chapters.