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We all know how hot and dry Australia is. It actually has one of the driest climates in the world, which means there is not a lot of water lying around on the surface.

Water is very important to us. We use it to drink, cook, clean, brush our teeth, wash our cars, water our plants and swim in - we use it for everything. In fact, no human, animal or plant can survive without it. Because water is so important to us and because there is not a lot of fresh water available, water is very precious.

We find water in lots of different places including rivers, lakes and wetlands. Water is even found under the ground, flowing through tiny holes in rocks beneath the soil. Water in the rivers, lakes and wetlands is called surface water. Water under the ground is called groundwater.

Rivers, lakes and wetlands are all unique and important homes or habitats for plants and animals. Plants and animals depend on their habitats for food, water and shelter. Plants and animals that live in watery places are called aquatic plants and animals. Most aquatic plants and animals have developed special adaptations to living in a watery environment. Can you think of an example?

To keep all plants and animals healthy and alive, we need water to be clean and healthy. There are many things that contribute to making our waterways unhealthy. Pollution from factories, litter from stormwater and sediments and salt from cleared land are just some of the common factors contributing to unhealthy waterways. Governments, industries and communities from all around Australia are getting together to make decisions to protect our waterways and keep them healthy.

Some community groups test their local waterway for signs of unhealthiness. Things like what the waterway looks and smells like, what litter around it and what is coming out of pipes and drains into the rivers and lakes can help explain if a waterway is sick or healthy.

The area around a waterway changes the health of the water that flows into our rivers and lakes. There are many things people can do to help keep waterways healthy like replanting riverbanks, building wetlands and establishing litter traps. See if you can find if there are any community activities happening on a waterway near you.

Interesting facts

• Surface water travels much faster than groundwater. In Australia, surface water can take only a few weeks to travel all the way from the Queensland to central Australia, but groundwater takes about one million years to travel the same distance!
• A catchment is like a big basin. It is an area of land bounded by hills or mountains that collects all the rainwater that falls and channels it into the creeks, rivers and lakes of the catchment. Everybody lives in a catchment. Do you know how big your catchment is?
• A habitat is the name we use for the home of any plant or animal. Plants and animals that live together and are dependent on each other for food and shelter form an ecosystem
• Our bodies are almost 70% water and the human brain is 75% water.

Water detective

• Did you know that Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the whole of the world? Can you find out which is the driest continent? And why?
• How many aquatic plants and animals do you know about? Pick any one of them and find out how it lives.

Discover how we get groundwater out of the ground.

But what can I do?

• If you want to leave more water for plants and animals, then turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth
• If you want to help keep our rivers, wetlands and lakes healthy, then don't litter on roads, paths or driveways, don't tip milk, oil or fat down the drain, use environmentally friendly products and get your parents to wash their cars on the grass instead of the road or driveway!
• And most importantly...spread the word! Tell everyone about how precious water is and how to save it.

So go on... do something!

There is so much that you can do to help - join a Waterwatch group, follow the tips above and most importantly spread the word!

See Waterwatch and then find your State's group.

Cool web sites

• Coastcare
• Waterwatch - Waterways Health Check
• Gould Group