Australia’s greatest river system is coming to life on screen in a powerful new education series that captures the beauty, tension and transformation of the Murray-Darling Basin like never before.
The Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC) engaged strategic communications agency Horizon Communication Group to assist produce Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, an eight-part on-line education series that takes viewers on a visually dramatic journey through one of the world’s most complex and contested water systems.
IGWC, Troy Grant said the education series was critical in addressing a knowledge gap among the community.
“The Murray-Darling Basin is central to who we are as a nation—it shapes our communities, our industries and our environment,” he said
“The production team have delivered a series that brings the Basin’s story to life with honesty and heart. It will help Australians understand not just the challenges of managing water in the Basin, but the shared responsibility we all have in protecting it for future generations.”
Spanning one million square kilometres and sustaining millions of Australians, the Murray-Darling Basin has shaped our environment, economy and identity for more than two centuries. Yet, based on research, 72 per cent of people living within it don’t realise they do.
Presented by Marlee Silva—a proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti woman and television presenter—the series offers a contemporary lens on a timeless national story. Behind the camera, Horizon’s team of writers worked closely with the IGWC’s in-house media team, academics, water policy experts and First Nations water leaders to ensure the narrative reflects the diversity, authenticity and complexity of the Basin’s story.
Developed in partnership with Horizon’s specialist sustainability division, greenHorizon, the series, mostly filmed and fully post-produced by the IGWC, explores the Basin’s history through a blend of expert interviews, archival reconstructions and animation.
Filmed from Queensland’s upper reaches to the Murray Mouth, each episode uncovers the social, political and environmental forces that have defined Australia’s relationship with water.
“This series demonstrates the power of communication to connect and educate people about the natural systems that sustain them,” said Horizon’s MD, Dr Lisa Portolan.
“By weaving together personal stories, science and history, Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin invites audiences to see water not just as a resource, but as a living, shared legacy.”
Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin is available to watch now
