Politics is hard and fast and premiership changes happen quickly.

They were once described to me by the proclamation (in this case): "The King is dead, long live the King!"

The former premier will be stripped of his car, phone and salary, and will have to make his appointments.

He may find it refreshing as he pursues "financial independence".

I wish Mr Hodgman and his family all the very best.

Nonetheless, there remains "bigger fish to fry"; national discussions to be had and significant decisions to be made.

I had never visited the Murray River (Ngarrindjeri, Tongala).

Of course, I had read, seen and watched the images and politics of the most contentious waterway in the country.

But I had never experienced the Murray River firsthand.

Before we arrived, I imagined Murray Cod and houseboats and paddle-steamers and bushrangers and books and television shows and music along with other romantic notions.

And I also thought about big dead fish and low water levels and hardened men crying and irrigation and greed.

The Murray River remains the lifeblood of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, stretching from Mount Kosciuszko to the Southern Ocean at Goolwa, supporting farmers, crops, stock, recreation and communities.

It is also an environmental hotbed with concern about flow and river height front and centre of many Australians' thoughts and minds.

The Murray River is the longest in Australia, some 2508 kilometres in length.

Through flood and drought, the river has continued to flow, it is hardy and resilient.

But the environment has changed.

We have drawn relentlessly on what once appeared to be an endless supply of water.

The health of the river has declined since European settlement.

Once plentiful species are now endangered.

Hamilton Hume and William Hovell crossed the river where Albury now stands in 1824.

Hume named the river after his father, thus it was first known as the Hume River.

Captain Charles Sturt, the English Explorer unaware that it was the same river, named it after the Secretary of State for War and Colonies, Sir John Murray, in 1830.

Before European settlement, the first peoples believed the Murray River was created by their ancestor, Ngurunderi, chasing Purdi (Murray Cod) with spears and rafts made from the imposing red gums.

To this day, the river holds great meaning.

We came across the Murray River at Yarrawonga/Mulwala; border towns.

Lake Mulwala was created as a result of damming the river.

The waterway is a hive of activity with a dead forest of red gums soaked well above their trunks.

We were reminded of Great Lake, the major contributor to hydro-electricity energy generation in Tasmania, and the timber which is extracted to make fine furniture.

The Murray River was wider and deeper than I expected.

There was more watercraft than the most popular destinations at home.

Slick, streamlined speed boats towing inflatables and skiers joined jet skis jostling for room with kayaks.

Campers occupied camping spots by the river, packed two and three deep.

Many families have headed to these spots each summer holiday for years.

Others have made new traditions, escaping the fires that destroyed the coastline of mainland Australia.

Two of our friends caught the famous big fish, the Murray Cod.

I was not so fortunate despite consistent efforts with cheese infused with fish oil.

River country is vastly different to the Australian coastline, but there are big fish in both.

It is dryer and harsher and less forgiving and takes longer to change.

Following the fires, the ash and debris will further impact the health of the Murray River.

More fish will die as vast amounts of soil enter the river and choke the environment.

One day I hope to be an old man of the sea and catch the big fish.

For that, I am glad that the new premier has reinstated the ministerial portfolio of climate change because I fear that even though we may disagree, the consequences of today's decisions will directly impact tomorrow.