This is the 1st draft of the story of Common Galaxia written by Trent Griffiths who also wrote the story for Dead Man Espresso. It will be on our website and coffee tin branding, am also thinking of putting on the window on south side, side street.
Common Galaxia
Around one kilometre north of where the mouth of the Maribyrnong nudges its way into the Yarra on the tip of Port Melbourne, the bends of the river flatten out into a strait of slow water.
This stretch of river is home to the Common Galaxias, an entirely unremarkable and utterly fascinating little fish; silvery and fantailed, found in half the rivers of the world, each living for a year but together outlasting everything built around them.
For thousands of years the Common Galaxias propped up the lifecycle of the Saltwater River, feeding the eel and bigger fish and in turn feeding the Wurundjeri people. In 1835 the Europeans arrived, and over the next century-and-a-half the steady march of industry – from tanners to candle makers to metal works to acid factories – started crowding the banks of the Maribyrnong. In quick time the little whitebait had a lot more to worry about that the Short-finned Eel and Southern Black Bream coming up from behind.
Not only did the Common Galaxias have to cope with the dirtiest water in Melbourne, their home was renovated as the join between the Maribyrnong and the Yarra at Footscray was closed to continue the line of wharves along the river. The waterway had become something lived on rather than lived in. Still, the little fish refused to be evicted, keeping their home among the weeds that clung to the riverbank.
And things have a way of coming back around. The city grew, and industry changed, and the river is running a little easier again as homes have replaced factories and parks dot the river bends where docks once loomed. The deep heart of the river still beats strong through a small silvery fish, hardly known but vital to this stretch of land and water, reminding us that nature will survive everything we build. The Common Galaxias has seen it all.
The place where we stand is just borrowing a spot in the bends of the river’s history. Enjoy, and don’t forget what lies just under the surface..
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