The term ‘waterways’ refers collectively to rivers, wetlands and estuaries. Adjoining waterbodies such as bays, oceans and groundwater are intimately connected to the waterway system. While the strategy acknowledges and integrates these interrelationships, it focuses on the surface-water system and does not set targets for groundwater, bays and oceans.
Rivers
Refers to rivers, creeks, and smaller tributaries, including the water, bed, banks, and adjacent land (known as riparian land).
Wetlands
Areas subject to permanent or temporary inundation that hold static or very slow moving water. They may be fresh or saline, natural, modified or artificial. Examples of wetlands include swamps or billabongs.
Estuaries
Where a river meets the sea, including the lower section of a river that experiences tidal flows where fresh water and saline (salty) water mix together.
Elements of the waterway system
