RMIT’s Litter Trackers program offers services to schools and community groups to better understand the way litter is transported along our waterways.  Through GPS technology litter can be mapped to asses how and where it travels and highlight the issue of urban stormwater on our waterways and oceans.

Check out the website to track litter, watch animations, access litter education materials or get involved in the program.  Get an overview of the program by reading the Litter Trackers presentation shown at the 2022 Statewide River Detectives Online Summit.

• Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Waterways, Website,
• All Regions,

Many Aboriginal people use the word “deadly” to mean awesome, strong, brilliant.

The many deadly stories of Aboriginal history and cultures are part of our collective identity as Victorians.

Students can use this website full of engaging videos to explore and learn by listening to the stories of Aboriginal people around the state.  The questions section is also a great place to watch videos that answer some of the most common questions people have about Aboriginal culture.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Video/Audio, Website,
• All Regions,

This website by Reconciliation Australia provides introductory cultural awareness training to give non-Indigenous people a glimpse into the lives and cultures of Australia’s First People. It has been put together for organisations to consider what they might do differently to build better relationships with Indigenous peoples to show respect for Indigenous Australians and to create opportunities for Indigenous peoples to help close the life expectancy gap and build a stronger Australia.

The content is simple and presented in a very user-friendly, engaging format.  Users can take the journey through each ‘chapter’ simply by scrolling down and clicking links or selected chapters/videos can be viewed.  Note: Please preview content for its suitability to the age group you are teaching.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

The learning resources available to all students through the NAIDOC website are invaluable for teachers and students.

The NAIDOC teaching ideas developed by the National NAIDOC Committee relate directly to supporting teachers in addressing The Australian Curriculum: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture cross-curriculum priority; with provision of content that can be used across multiple learning areas and stages/grades from Foundational Studies to Year 12.

SBS produces a NAIDOC Week Teaching Resource annually for Foundation to Year 10. The Teaching Resource contains concepts relevant to a broad range of learners and topics, and will provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in classrooms beyond the dates of NAIDOC Week each year. The 2020 resource is available here and the 2021 resource for the ‘Heal Country’ theme is available here.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Guide/Activity booklet, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

Be inspired by this video by central Victorian Trace Balla and start recording the things you see, hear, touch and smell at your local waterway or anywhere in nature.  Sit for a while and observe, notice the small things and hone into colours, sounds, textures, shapes and movement.  Sketch, note or photograph your discoveries.  Journal throughout a year and record the seasonal changes you observe.  This ideas sheet from Paperbark Writer will help get you started too !

• Activity Sheet, Fauna (animals), Flora (plants), General, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Video/Audio, Website,
• All Regions,

If you were a bird, which one would you be ?  Why ?

Choose your favourite bird or the bird that represents you best due to it’s personality, appearance or behaviour.  Study its colours and find items with matching colours in your wardrobe to represent its colourful plumage and be a ‘bird’ for a day.

A great idea for National Bird Week in October or for good fun anytime.

• Fauna (animals), Game, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,

Use this website for all you need to know about nest boxes; nest box designs, installation tips and monitoring methods.

Making and monitoring nest boxes is a great project for students and a fantastic way to enhance habitat at your waterway, school, home, local park, etc.

• Fauna (animals), Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

If you are looking to find out more about the native fauna and flora at your waterway, home, school, etc this website is a great place to start.

‘Explore‘ your own piece of wilderness by reading profiles about native birds, bugs/insects, mammals, frogs, reptiles and some plant families.

Get busy with a project and ‘Create‘ buddy habitats for birds, bugs/insects, mammals, frogs, reptiles and plants.

Use the tips to ‘Help‘ a backyard buddy.

• Fact sheet, Fauna (animals), Flora (plants), Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is an annual citizen-science event held in National Bird Week (October).  It is a great way to connect with the birds in your backyard no matter where your backyard happens to be — a suburban backyard, a local park, a patch of forest, down by the beach, or the main street of town.

You can use the App  to do as many 20-minute surveys as you like over the week with the data collected assisting BirdLife Australia understand more about the birds that live where people live.

Use the lesson plans to explore birdwatching at school.

Check out an infographic of the 2020 results for some great maths stats.

• All, Fact sheet, Fauna (animals), Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

Did you know that Australia is home to 15 native duck species? Yet five in six Victorians can’t name a single one! The ‘Discover Ducks’ website wants to change this and build a nation of duck lovers who are passionate and knowledgeable about our native ducks.

Head to this website to; learn about iconic Victorian duck species, learn how to care for ducks, use the duck detector guide to go duck spotting, use the duck detector map to find out where ducks have been spotted or add your own sighting, challenge yourself to the ‘know your ducks quiz’ or complete a fun survey to discover which duck you are.

• Fact sheet, Fauna (animals), Game, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

ABC’s ‘This Place’ project invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create a short video about a place name, and the story behind it.

Bryon Powell takes us on a journey across Wadawurrung country, sharing some of the stories behind its place names. His country stretches from the mountains to the sea. It includes hills, rivers and grassy plains, creeks and coasts and includes modern towns such as Werribee, Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria.

Search for other videos of cultural stories about waterways across regional Australia at the ABC TV Education website, on ABC iview or at the ABC Indigenous youtube channel.

• Aboriginal Cultures, All, Catchments, Estuaries, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• Corangamite CMA,

ABC’s ‘This Place’ project invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create a short video about a place name, and the story behind it.

The Wimmera River is known as Barengi Djul in Wergaia language spoken by the Wotjobaluk people. Along the water, not far from the township of Dimboola is a special place known as Ackle Bend or Wutiyeti which means camping place, and is also known for its stories of Bunyip.

Search for other videos of cultural stories about waterways across regional Australia at the ABC TV Education website, on ABC iview or at the ABC Indigenous youtube channel.

• Aboriginal Cultures, All, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• Wimmera CMA,

This 10 minute video gives a wonderful insight into the way 19th century European settlers depended on Aboriginal navigators and canoe builders to transport goods, stock and people.

This short documentary film explores the little known contribution Aboriginal people made in colonial times across the river systems of Victoria. It features interviews with the historian Associate Professor Fred Cahir and Traditional Owners Uncle Bryon Powell, Jamie Lowe and Rick Nelson.

For other cultural/historical videos, documents, photos, etc about waterways near you, type the name of your creek/river into the search bar of the Collection Search tab of the Culture Victoria website.  You’ll be amazed at what you find !

• Aboriginal Cultures, All, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• All Regions,

For schools in the North East CMA region, North East Water offer  incursions, excursions and resources for students and teachers to educate about urban water, the water cycle and saving water.

• All, Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• North East CMA,

For schools in the Corangamite CMA region, Barwon Water offer a free comprehensive education program including water-related incursions, excursions and resources for early childhood to tertiary students.  You can also sign up for their e-newsletters.

• All, Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• Corangamite CMA,

For schools in the south-western part of the north central CMA region and the northern part of the Corangamite CMA region, Central Highlands Water offer free education programs and learning materials for schools and community groups. Topics include; water (source to tap), water efficiency, choose Tap and recycled water and wastewater.

• All, Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• Corangamite CMA, North Central CMA,

For schools in the Wimmera, GWM Water offers a range of water-based activities, experiments, fact sheets, puzzles and fun recipes specific to your region.  They also encourage schools to enter the annual National Water Week poster competition.

• All, Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• Wimmera CMA,

For schools in the north central region, Coliban Water offer incursions teach students about the value of water, how to use water wisely and wastewater management.

They also provide free print and online teaching resources for use in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

Sign up to their education newsletter to keep in touch with their latest news.

• Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• North Central CMA,

The Waterbug Shop was established as a better way for people to access equipment and resources for the sampling and identification of waterbugs.
If your school or group is looking to purchase macroinvertebrate sampling equipment this is a great place to start.

• Teacher, Water bugs, Website,
• All Regions,

The Reimagining Bendigo Creek aims to create a healthier, more inclusive, connected and beautiful Creek that we can all respect and value.

After attending a workshop in 2019 about the assets and threats of Bendigo Creek, students were challenged to present their vision for a future Bendigo Creek and their innovative results were amazing !

View Huntly Primary School’s creative lego model presentation and Epsom Primary School’s engaging video as inspiration for your own student-led waterway championing project.

• All, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• All Regions,

Find out what the North East CMA does and how they care for catchments in the region.  Includes descriptions of the region and projects the CMA is undertaking to protect and enhance environmental values within the region.

If you are in the North East CMA region you may also like to access educational support (urban water, water cycles, water conservation) from the water corporation in your specific location using this map.

It will most likely be North East Water.

• All, Catchments, Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Waterways, Website,
• North East CMA,

Find out what Melbourne Water does and how they care for catchments in the region.

Includes a myriad of education resources covering frogs, litter, stormwater, catchments, waterways and more.  Some are specific to the Melbourne area but many are relevant to all regions.

If you are in the Melbourne Water area you may also like to access support from the water corporation in your specific location using this map.  It will either be Yarra Valley Water, South East Water, City West Water or Westernport Water.

• All, Catchments, Game, Group/Organisation, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Waterways, Website,
• All Regions,

Find out what the Corangamite CMA does and how they care for catchments in the region.  Includes descriptions of the region’s catchments and projects the CMA is undertaking to protect and enhance them.

If you are in the Corangamite CMA region you may also like to access educational support (urban water, water cycles, water conservation) from the water corporation in your specific location using this map;

Depending on your location it may either be Central Highlands Water or Barwon Water,

• All, Catchments, Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Waterways, Website,
• Corangamite CMA,

Find out what the North Central CMA does and how they care for catchments in the region.  Includes great descriptions of rivers and wetlands in the region and projects the CMA is undertaking to protect and enhance them.

If you are in the North Central CMA region you may also like to access educational support (urban water, water cycles, water conservation) from the water corporation in your specific location using this map;

Depending on your location it may either be Coliban Water, Central Highlands Water, GWM Water or Lower Murray Water.

• All, Catchments, Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Waterways, Website,
• North Central CMA,

Find out what the Wimmera CMA does and how they care for catchments in the region.  Includes great descriptions of rivers/streams and wetlands in the Wimmera CMA region.

If you are in the Wimmera CMA region you may also like to access educational support (urban water, water cycles, water conservation) from the water corporation in your specific location using this map.

It will most likely be GWM Water.

• All, Catchments, Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Waterways, Website,
• Wimmera CMA,

Get involved in seasonal bird surveys with Birdata, Birdlife Australia’s easy-to-use website and app.  Both resources automatically give you a list of 30 birds from your region to help get you started – so you don’t need to be an expert to take part.

Use this video to learn how to get started using the Birdata website to enter your results or, if you are a maths maniac, browse, filter, graph, analyse and compare bird data from anywhere in Australia.

The App is a portable conservation tool allowing volunteers to leap into the colourful world of birdwatching and enter bird survey data via phones or tablets.

You can also get involved in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count in October each year, a nationwide citizen-science event.

• All, App, Fauna (animals), Teacher, Video/Audio, Website,
• All Regions,

The Wild Pollinator Count gives you an opportunity to contribute to wild pollinator insect conservation in Australia. Twice a year (April and November) the community is invited to count wild pollinators in the local environment and help build a database on wild pollinator activity.

You can join in by watching any flowering plant for just ten minutes sometime in the count weeks.

• You don’t need to be an insect expert.
• You don’t need fancy gear.
• You may be surprised by what you see!

• All, Fauna (animals), Flora (plants), Teacher, Website,
• All Regions,

The Kids Teaching Kids Program raises awareness and drives action on local and global environmental issues, helping the next generation of leaders who will take collective responsibility for our future.

By giving students the opportunity to present a workshop to others during Kids Teaching Kids Week or at one of the Kids Conferences, students see that they can have a positive impact on the world, starting in their own communities.

You could consider having a group of students present at a KTK workshop or run a KTK- inspired event at your school with cross-age learning or by gathering with other non-River Detective schools.

• General, Teacher, Website,
• All Regions,

Parks Victoria’s Junior Rangers website is a great resource with activity sheets and booklets found at the ‘Make and Do’ link.  Topics are wide-ranging but River Detective related content includes;  a river activity Booklet, pest animals, river red gums, pest plants and weeds, platypus and general activities related to nature studies that can be done at school, in backyards or at your water testing site.

• General, Lower Primary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Website,
• All Regions,

Thousands of free curriculum-linked resources for school teachers and students!  Search for the topic you require and there may be activities, lesson plans or videos ready for you to use.

• All, General, Website,
• All Regions,

Cool Australia has been supporting teachers since 2008, providing them with learning activities and resources that make teaching and understanding real world scenarios as easy as possible.

Units, lessons and activities are Australian curriculum aligned and FREE to educators and students. You can choose to follow full units of study or pick individual lessons to fit in with your curriculum.

There are a multitude of resources from a variety of curriculum areas that provide content aligned with topics covered by the River Detectives program.

• All, General, Website,
• All Regions,

Aboriginal Victoria aims to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, promote the advancement of Treaty and self-determination, and deliver programs to strengthen Aboriginal communities.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Group/Organisation, Lower Secondary, Resource Type, Suitable Age Group, Teacher, Topics, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

Culture Victoria is a gateway to Victoria’s cultural collections and organisations. It provides access to images, videos and stories that showcase the richness and diversity of Victoria.

Type a location or waterway into the Collection search to discover content from cultural agencies and over 300 professional and community collections.

• Aboriginal Cultures, All, Group/Organisation, Website,
• All Regions,

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated, or VAEAI, is the state-wide Aboriginal community-controlled organisation for education and training in Victoria.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Group/Organisation, Resource Type, Suitable Age Group, Teacher, Topics, Website,
• All Regions,

Marrung is the Department of Education and Training’s strategy to ensure that all Koorie Victorians achieve their learning aspirations.

• Aboriginal Cultures, Resource Type, Suitable Age Group, Teacher, Topics, Website,
• All Regions,

In February 2018 Melbourne Water brought together 24 passionate citizens, known as the Yarra River Community Assembly, to write a 50-year community vision for the Yarra.

Members of the assembly heard from experts, including Wurundjeri Elders and community, about the history of the Yarra and its cultural significance to the Traditional Owners.

The group used the stories gathered from the broader community to write a vision for each of the Yarra’s four reaches (upper rural, lower rural, suburban and inner-city) and an overarching vision for the whole river.

These visions will provide the building blocks for how the river and its land are used and managed in future, to ensure the Yarra remains a proud part of Victoria’s identity.

This link takes you to a video library to explore the project through the stories of all involved.

• All, Urban Water, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• Melbourne Water,

People have changed the natural water cycle; buildings and pipes take water for drinking and remove sewage and stormwater. This is the urban water cycle.

In Melbourne the urban water cycle is managed by Melbourne Water. Use this interactive map to learn more or this link to explore other aspects.

In north central Victoria Coliban Water manages urban water.  Check out their animation with links to videos to explore topics further.

• All, Catchments, Lower Primary, Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• All Regions,

Learn about a multi-agency effort to recover the health of Stony Creek after the West Footscray warehouse fire on 30 August 2018.

• Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Waterways, Website,
• Melbourne Water,

Melbourne Water’s ‘Enhancing Our Dandenong Creek’ project is taking an innovative approach to sewerage management and bringing the creek back to life.

Although Melbourne based, this is a great case study to show students how urban water can be managed effectively.

For more information go to Melbourne Water’s website

• Lower Secondary, Teacher, Upper Primary, Upper Secondary, Urban Water, Video/Audio, Waterways, Website,
• All Regions,

Join Drippy the raindrop on a journey across the urban water cycle, through your neighbourhood’s water pipes, sewers, drains and waterways as you head towards the bay.

Steer around obstacles and collect bubbles to reveal facts unique to your postcode. You can even build a bike trail or bust a fatberg by activating special effects that improve services to your area!

This Melbourne Water resource does focus on Melbourne’s urban area but will have some relevance to urban areas in any region.

Suitable for ages 12 and above.  Drip Trip can be played on smartphones, tablets and computers. It works best on newer operating systems and browsers like the latest versions of Chrome, Safari and Firefox. You don’t need to download the game to play, but we do recommend a stable internet connection.

• Catchments, Game, Lower Secondary, Upper Primary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• All Regions,

This page is run by freshwater ecologists dedicated to assisting with waterbug ID from photos.  Send your image in for help with identification and check out posts for very cool photos and videos of waterbugs in action.

• All, Water bugs, Website,
• All Regions,

This is an online game where the player manages a virtual river catchment.  The aim is to create an environmentally happy catchment with a sustainable and thriving economy.

• Catchments, Game, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary, Website,
• All Regions,

Victoria has a strong and proud Aboriginal history, and complex ownership and land stewardship systems stretching back many thousands of years.

This map allows you to find out who the formally recognised Traditional Owners are for an area.

• Aboriginal Cultures, All, Map, Website,
• All Regions,

Landcare represents thousands of people across Victoria, working together to increase biodiversity and promote the sustainable management of land.

Find out what your local group is doing and how your River Detectives program might be able to get involved.

To find your local group visit the Landcare Gateway and search for the group nearest you by name, postcode or map location.

• All, General, Group/Organisation, Website,
• All Regions,

Be inspired by activity ideas linked to the Australian curriculum in the Learning Centre, at Just For Kids with great activities for home and school and check out the 25 Junior Landcare Ideas encouraging Junior Landcarers to take action to protect the world around them.

There are also fantastic grant opportunities for schools, youth groups, early learning centres and landcare groups.

• Activity Sheet, All, General, Group/Organisation, Guide/Activity booklet, Website,
• All Regions,

Explore three interactive online games on South East Water’s website to learn about the natural water cycle, the urban water cycle and water sources.

To play, click ‘I’m a student’ – ‘play games and explore’ and then scroll down for all the links.

• Game, Lower Secondary, Upper Primary, Urban Water, Water cycles, Website,
• All Regions,

If you are, by being a part of River Detectives you can tick off some extra areas in the Biodiversity module !

• General, Group/Organisation, Teacher, Website,
• All Regions,