Grab your phone or camera and get clicking because West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is launching its annual Water for the Environment photo competition with great prizes to be won.  

“This year’s competition theme of ‘more than just water’ reflects that the rivers and wetlands across West Gippsland are more than just the water in them,” said Tash Marty-Cripps, Waterways Project Officer for the CMA. 

“We know that people will be out enjoying our beautiful rivers in Autumn, and would love to see photos of your adventures and hear your stories.”  

The rivers and wetlands across West Gippsland are more than just the water in them. They are special not just because they are home to many plants and animals but for their many other values. Like being places to hike, swim, kayak, fish and camp. They look and smell nice, the water feels cool to our touch. They are also places to learn teach and share stories and where we go to boost our mental health and feel good. They are also important places of financial value for farmers and for local kayaking, fishing and tourism businesses.  

“We all benefit from healthy waterways and we are especially proud to support them by delivering water for the environment.” 

‘Water for the environment’ is water that is set aside in major reservoirs and carefully released into a waterway to support the health of rivers and wetlands. In dry times it can be used to connect pools and improve water quality, protecting animals such as fish and platypus.

Environmental releases can trigger native fish or eel migration, help waterplants grow, protect waterbirds from predators and improve access to food for fish, frogs and birds. By taking care of the water, we’re also improving these waterways for people to enjoy as well. 

The popular annual competition encourages photographers to get snapping and enter photos from the four waterways in of the region that receive annual water for the environment allocations: 

• Durt’Yowan (Latrobe River)
• Lower Latrobe Wetlands ie: Dowd Morass, Heart Morass and Sale Common
• Wirn wirndook Yeerung (Macalister River)
• Carran Carran (Thomson River)

Simply capture one or more images of one of these waterways to show us how it’s more than just water to you.  There are $1,000 worth of local business association vouchers up for grabs for the winners. It’s free and you can enter multiple times.

The competition opens on Tuesday 1 April and closes at 11:59pm on Wednesday 30 April 2025. Good luck snappers!

West Gippsland CMA is responsible for over 40,000 kilometres of designated waterways across the region and delivers programs for healthy and resilient catchments. All these waterways flow to the Victorian coast, discharging through the Gippsland Lakes, or directly into Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. 

You can learn more about water for the environment in West Gippsland and signup to receive email notifications to keep up to date when environmental flows are scheduled.