The 1956 flood on the Georges River.

One of a number of floods that have occurred over the last 130 years.

The Georges River is located in and to the south-west of Sydney. Over 1 million people live within the catchment, making it one of the most populated catchments in Australia. It has a catchment area (shown opposite) of 960km2 and also contains significant areas identified for future urban development. The Georges River is about 100km long. It commences near Appin, about 60km south-west of Sydney. From here the river flows north towards Liverpool, through the Chipping Norton Lakes Scheme, and then east through Bankstown to Botany Bay.

The river has a number of important tributaries, including Bunburry Curran Creek; Cabramatta Creek; Prospect Creek; Harris and Williams Creeks; Salt Pan Creek; and Woronora River.

Like most rivers in Australia, the Georges River has a history of flooding. The photo above shows the 1986 flood in the Milperra-Moorebank area. A similar flood also occurred in 1988. Some 1,000 residential properties along the Georges River and its main tributaries were inundated during this flood. These floods were estimated to be similar to a 20 year flood (has a 1 in 20 chance of occurring in any one year). However, much larger floods have occurred, and will occur again.

The potential damage bill from major flooding on the Georges River is enormous (over $300M in a 100 year flood) and it ranks as one of the most severely flood prone valleys in the State.