Wagga Wagga City Council highlights importance of water safety 

Wagga Wagga City Council encourages community to enjoy the city’s water resources - from the Murrumbidgee River to the Oasis Aquatic Centre - but urges care.

Council’s Recreation Coordinator Joshua Walsh notes “it’s important people using these resources also take care around water, particularly at the river.

“The waters of the Murrumbidgee can be cold and the current fast, and there might be many hidden dangers like submerged branches just below the surface.”

Walsh said the local river poses a risk no matter how familiar with it you think you are and added “Royal Life Saving Society research shows that 40% of those who drown in an inland waterway were within 20km of their home.

“We want residents to enjoy the river and all our other recreation sites as the weather gets warmer, but be prepared and listen to advice and warnings.”

Safety tips around water:

• check conditions before entering

• enter slowly, feet first

• take care around crumbling riverbeds and slippery dam edges

• avoid underwater obstacles such as rocks, branches and rubbish

• take care when walking on unstable or slippery riverbeds

• avoid using alcohol or drugs around water

• wear a lifejacket when using watercraft

• never swim alone.

Image.Wagga Wagga City Council’s Recreation Coordinator Joshua Walsh said the Murrumbidgee River can appear deceptively safe, so enter with appropriate caution. Credit: Wagga Wagga City Council