NSW has introduced legislation that enables wild rivers to be formally recognised and protected. Wild rivers are those rivers of which the biology, geomorphology and hydrology are in a substantially unmodified condition. Wild rivers are declared within areas currently reserved and managed for natural and cultural heritage conservation purposes to ensure that the high conservation values of these rivers and their catchments are maintained. Wild rivers can be used as focal points for a range of protection and rehabilitation works outside reserves.
Washpool Creek occurs within the Clarence River Basin, the largest catchment on the NSW North Coast. The catchment incorporates the rugged hills of the Great Dividing Range (including the Washpool sub-catchment), the more gently sloped western edge of the escarpment, and the coastal plain, which meets the sea south of Ballina and north of Coffs Harbour.
