Water definitions

Inland waters

Inland waters (freshwater) are:

any waterway from its mouth to its source and any inlet or lagoon connected with it; and
any swamp, lake, lagoon, backwater, billabong, dam, river, stream or public water storage reservoir.

Inland waters do not include:

the Gippsland Lakes, Lower Lake of Mallacoota Inlet (see map 5), Lake Tyers (see map 7), Anderson's Inlet and Wingan Inlet (which are considered marine waters).

Marine waters are:

the Gippsland Lakes, Lower Lake of Mallacoota Inlet (see map 5), Lake Tyers (see map 7) and Wingan Inlet; and
Victorian waters that are not inland waters such as (but not limited to) Port Phillip Bay, Western Port.

Note: Water on private property, such as farm dams, are neither inland nor marine waters.

Mouth

Mouth: Imaginary line between the most seaward banks of a river or estuary where:

those waters meet the sea (for examples see maps 1 and 2).
where those waters flow into a bay, inlet or lake that is defined as a marine water (eg. Port Phillip Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Wingan Inlet) (see map 3).

	Map 1: Example of an inland and marine water boundary
	Map 2: Example of an inland and marine water boundary
	Map 3: Example of an inland and marine water boundary
	The location of the inland/marine water boundary (mouth) differs for the following waterways (see maps 4-9). Map 4: Inland and marine water boundary at Curdies Inlet
	Map 5: Inland and marine water boundary at Mallacoota Inlet
	Map 6: Inland and marine water boundary at the Merri River
	Map 7: Inland and marine water boundaries at Lake Tyers
	Map 8: Inland and marine water boundary at the Barwon River
	Map 9: Inland and marine water boundary at the Yarra River