Rural Waterways

Your Patch, Our Rivers

Two Thirds of the Upper Murrumbidgee catchment is rural lands. Land holders of these properties play a big part in keeping our catchment healthy.

Across the countryside, creeks and rivers quietly connect paddocks, gardens, farms and towns. The waterways that supply Canberra, Cooma, Yass and nearby villages flow past thousands of rural properties, carrying with them whatever the land has absorbed along the way.

Caring for your patch helps our communities thrive and supports the water supply we all share. Often, it is the small, everyday choices that shape the health of these waterways.

Why Source Water Protection Matters

Clean water starts upstream.

Water does not suddenly become clean when it reaches a reservoir or treatment plant. Its journey begins much earlier. Rainfall moves across soil, vegetation and creek lines, picking up nutrients, sediment and other materials as it flows.

What happens on one property becomes part of a much larger system. Each patch of land plays a quiet role in shaping water quality, river health and the resilience of landscapes downstream. Small choices, repeated across many properties, add up to meaningful outcomes for waterways, wildlife and communities.

Many drinking water catchments flow through privately managed rural land

Everything that enters a creek upstream continues downstream

Healthy waterways support species like platypus, which rely on abundant water bugs for food

Native vegetation along creek lines can naturally filter water and slow erosion

Resources for Rural Landholders

Download our rural waterways brochure and community contacts sheet to learn how your everyday land management choices connect to the health of our rivers, creeks and drinking water catchments.

Brochure - Your Patch, Our Rivers

4.4 MB PDF

Your Community Contacts List

615 KB

Everyday Land Care,
Through a Water Lens

Across the countryside, people already do many things that support healthy waterways, often without thinking of them as “water protection”.

Composting green waste and maintaining septic systems keeps nutrients where they’re useful, in soil
Groundcover and native plants help hold soil during heavy rain
Fencing stock out of creeks can protect banks while supporting animal health
Capturing rainwater and using it carefully helps make the most of local water supplies

Each action supports land productivity while gently caring for the waterways beyond the fence line.

Noticing the Seasons

Land and water change with the year, and so do the opportunities to care for them.

Spring

Time for planting, careful chemical storage and preparing landscapes for warmer months

Summer

Brings storms, weeds and a chance to notice waterbugs that reveal creek health

Autumn

Suits composting, weed control and establishing native vegetation

Winter

Offers time to repair erosion, protect creek banks and observe platypus activity

Seen together, these seasonal moments form a steady rhythm of care rather than a list of tasks.

Staying Connected

Looking after land can be a personal experience, but it is also shared. Many people find value in connecting with others who care about catchments, creeks and local environments, whether through community groups, surveys or shared conversations.

Becoming aware of how your patch fits into the wider water story can bring added perspective. Healthier land, resilient water supplies and a sense of connection to the places and people downstream.

Caring for your patch, in your own way,
contributes to the life of our rivers and to the communities connected by them.