Waterways

Year 9-10 Outdoor Ed

Waterways

​What are waterways?

The Department of Water uses the term 'waterways' to refer to any river, creek, stream or brook, including its floodplain and estuary. This includes systems that flow permanently, for part of the year or occasionally.​

​Waterways

Waterways provide places to relax, holiday, exercise, fish, bird watch, hike and swim.

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Healthy waterways support many environmental values such as native fish, riparian vegetation, bird habitation, drought refuges and rare or threatened species.

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Our waterways supply water for agriculture, as well as supporting important social values such as fishing, swimming and boating or cultural values such as Aboriginal heritage sites.

Types of waterways​

​During the term, we will look at different types of waterways and how we use them.

​Rivers

​Rivers are defined here as major rivers, streams or creeks and their feeders (tributaries), and include the water, the channel and surrounding land (known as riparian land).

Multiple Choice

Which is not a river located in the Wimmera?

• Wimmera River

• Yarriambiack Creek

• Concongella Creek

• Yarra River

Open Ended

How often do you use the Wimmera River Every day, once a week, once a fortnight? Explain.

Open Ended

If you do use the river, what do you use it for?

​Estuaries

​Estuaries are where rivers meet the sea and the fresh river water mixes with the salt water of the ocean.

The majority of Victoria's estuaries are mouths of rivers and streams that flow directly into the ocean or into large marine bays (such as Western Port, Port Phillip Bay and Corner Inlet).

There are more than 100 estuaries in Victoria; 83 of these exceed one kilometre in length.

​Wetlands

​Wetlands are still-water environments, usually occurring where water collects in depressions in the landscape from either surface water or groundwater. Wetlands can include swamps, lakes and peatlands (organic matter collections).

Open Ended

Why do you think Pink Lake is pink?

Multiple Choice

True or False, Lake Hindmarsh is the largest freshwater lake in Victoria?

• True

• False

• f