Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority: Your catchment

Home Print page Email page Resize text
Your catchment The Hawkesbury Nepean is one of the world's great river systems and a catchment of national significance. The catchment cradles Sydney, supplying the city and surrounding regions with food, water and other resources. The river flows 470 kilometres (from south of Goulburn near Lake Bathurst to Broken Bay), making it the longest coastal catchment in NSW. Along its course the river drains 21,400 square kilometres, or 2.14 million hectares, of land. The catchment's natural landscapes are incredibly varied, from rainforests to open woodlands, heathlands to wetlands, and highland freshwater streams to the magnificent Hawkesbury River estuary. Although many of these landscapes have been altered due to development and agriculture, almost half of the catchment is protected in national parks and water catchment reserves. Catchment values The Hawkesbury Nepean catchment supplies water, power, agricultural and fisheries produce, tourism and mining resources. » more Catchment challenges The Hawkesbury Nepean catchment is a highly diverse and complex catchment which is facing a number of major challenges. » more Southern This region takes in the Southern Highlands and area around Goulburn. It includes the headwaters of the Hawkesbury Nepean near Lake Bathurst and is dominated by the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee River systems. more » Western Sydney This region reflects the diversity of the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment with its variety of landscapes and landuses. more » Northern Valleys The Northern Valleys includes the magnificent sandstone valleys of the Capertee and Wolgan (west of the range) and Macdonald, Grose and Colo Valleys in the east. more » Estuary This region stretches from Richmond to the river's mouth at Broken Bay and includes the coastal strip of Pittwater. more » Western This region is known for its resource generation such as power, coal, forestry, agriculture and water. more »