The Georges River Catchment

The Georges River is a beautiful part of the Sydney landscape and provides many opportunities for the community to relax, recreate and enjoy the natural environments the river provides. Like all rivers in Australia, the Georges River has a history of flooding. Flooding is a natural and healthy part of the Georges River and helps maintain the ecosystems around the river. Often, flooding can impact the communities who live, work and visit these locations. It is important to be aware of floods on the Georges River and how they can impact these communities.

We often talk about the Georges River catchment. A catchment is a land area where water is collected that feeds into a river. The catchment area for the Georges River is large, covering a landmass of approximately 1,000 square kilometres. Sometimes these catchment areas may not seem close to a river, but rainfall that occurs in these areas can feed into the flood effects of that river. Many people are not aware that they live in a catchment and that these areas are also impacted by floods directly or indirectly.

The Georges River itself is situated in Sydney's south and is approximately 100 kilometres long. The river flows through Liverpool, Chipping Norton Lake Scheme and then flows east through Bankstown and out to Botany Bay. This includes along the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bayside, Canterbury-Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Sutherland and Wollondilly. 

The Georges River is one of the most populated catchments in Australia, with approximately a quarter of Sydney’s inhabitants located here. There is a rich diversity of community, business and recreation areas in this location, attracting many people from outside the area. It is also known as one of the most severely flood prone areas in NSW. 

It is important to be aware of and understand the flood risks in this area. It is also important to know what to do when the Georges River does flood.

These pages can help you understand the risk and give you information on what to do before, during and after floods. There are also resources and further information for you to explore.

For a more detailed explanation on how the Georges River was formed, visit the Georges Riverkeeper website - What shaped the Georges River?