A catchment is the area of land from which all rainfall and runoff drains to a single outlet. For the Tarwin River, that means almost all of South Gippsland Shire. Every drop of rain that falls on a paddock, a roof, a hillside or a forest in South Gippsland eventually finds its way to the Tarwin River and through to Corner Inlet and Bass Strait.
This connection means that what happens on land — how we farm, what we plant, what we allow to grow on streambanks, how we manage nutrients and chemicals — directly affects the health of the river and the estuary. Understanding this connection is at the heart of the We Love the Tarwin initiative.