Our Water Literacy program is for Tasmanians of all ages. Discover our water, its origins, and its journey with our engaging new resources, including online storybooks. The Water Guardians is a three-book series following the adventures of Jaz and their friends as they learn about the importance of water, and clean up the waterways.
Teachers
Teacher feedback wanted
Use the resources in your classroom then complete our survey.
Teaching Resources
Explore by school grade range
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Grade 3 to 4
Grade 5 to 6
School performances
The Water Guardians Tasmanian school visits
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Schools! Sign up for virtual and in-class shows
Expressions of Interest 2026Tasmanian schools interested in joining the FREE 2026 program, including:
- virtual shows launching in Term 2 (home schools, this is for you too) and
- in-class performances touring in Term 4.
Shows are brought to you by TasWater, in partnership with The National Theatre for Children.
Learn more about the virtual shows
Watch NowCheck out the Water Guardians livestream program overview Video to learn more.
Students across Tasmania are taking part in a new water-wise adventure as TasWater’s Water Guardians storybooks come to life on stage. In partnership with the National Theatre for Children, we delivered a lively school tour that brought key water messages straight to primary classrooms.
In November 2025, the Water Guardians production visited 20 schools. Each 30-minute show introduced students to water conservation, wastewater management, and the urban and natural water cycle in a fun and engaging way.
Professional performers Cassie Ogle and Matt Newell played a colourful cast of Water Guardian characters, including Kira from our ‘Save Water. Save Our Thing’ campaign, along with Dan the Caddisfly Larva, Jasper the Eastern Quoll, and Flynn the Wedge-tailed Eagle. Together, they enlisted students as “water guardians in training”, helping them discover how to protect Dan’s local creek.
Tobias Benn, Managing Director of the National Theatre for Children, said the program shows the power of storytelling to help young people understand important ideas.
‘Through these Water Guardians performances, we’re helping students connect with vital messages about water conservation and sustainability in a way that’s fun, memorable and distinctly Tasmanian.’
This initiative strengthens TasWater’s commitment to improving water literacy and encouraging environmental stewardship in young Tasmanians. The curriculum-aligned performances suit a range of year levels and link directly to our free online teaching resources, supporting teachers and students to continue exploring water topics long after the show.
Resources
Videos - invitation to read
Watch this short animation as two of our water guardians, Winnie the wombat and Laurel the platypus, introduce our first storybook.
Watch this short animation as two of our water guardians, Laurel the platypus and Dan the caddisfly larva, introduce our second storybook.
Storybooks
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Book one The Water Guardians: from mountain to sea
Winnie the wombat thinks there’s too much rain, but Aunty Laurel knows how important water is all the time! They set off on a Tasmanian adventure to learn about water’s role in nature.
Book two The Water Guardians: saving the creek
When Laurel the platypus discovers her beloved East Coast Creek is polluted and shrinking, she teams up with the local water guardians to save it.
Book three The Water Guardians: city river rescue
When Flynn the wedge-tailed eagle arrives in Hobart, he notices a problem with contamination in the waterways. What can the Water Guardians do to spread the word on how to protect our environment?
Activity sheets
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Colour printable colouring pages
Greyscale printable colouring pages
Chatterbox Quiz
Waterwise Scavenger Hunt
Characters
Click on each character to learn moreWinnie the wombat
Laurel the platypus
Jasper the quoll
Paddy the pademelon
Dan the caddisfly
Flynn the eagle
About
Developing the program
Meet the Water Guardians, some of our native animal friends who help us explore Tasmania's precious water. We hope they will inspire our children and our wider Tasmanian community to learn more about water beyond the tap or toilet. From illustrations to content, this program is all about water in the Tasmanian context.
Are you a water guardian too?
Water is Tasmania's thing, but it is limited, so we need to protect it to make sure there is enough to go around to be healthy and thrive!
We recognised the need for a program to inspire the next generation of Tasmanians to value water, care for the environment, and make sustainable choices. Starting with our younger audiences helps create long-lasting change by building good habits early. We also know that our kids love to share what they are learning about with the rest of the family and friends.
We understand that turning the tap on is often something you are doing while thinking about all sorts of other things. Have you ever stopped to wonder where exactly that water comes from? We want to get Tasmanians thinking beyond taps and toilets, and remember that this is all part of a cycle of water.
Our Community Programs team collaborated with education specialists Kimberlin Education and Tasmanian artist Rachel Tribout to create a Water Guardians storybook series, featuring recognisable local landscapes and characters designed to resonate with Tasmanian readers.
The program features educational resources that link to the storybooks, including activity sheets, teacher guides with in-class and online activities, and take-home information to reinforce Australian curriculum-aligned lessons.
While we designed the content to support primary school lessons, the message is much broader, helping children of all ages understand the importance of water and the work that goes into delivering it.
Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, a carer, or someone who loves a good story, you’ll find something to enjoy and learn from
We’d love your help sharing the Water Guardians program. If you know a teacher, mention it to them. Share the program poster, display it in a staffroom, or mention it at a school meeting. Most of us know someone in education, and a quick conversation could help a whole class connect with water in a new way.
We can all be proud of this program, and it is a great way to show how Tasmanians make a difference in our community.
Since creation, the palawa have lived here in lutruwita - Tasmania. Over 2,000 generations of Aboriginal families have cared for this Country, looking after its lands, seas, skies and waterways.
In the spirit of respect and gratitude, TasWater acknowledges the Tasmanian Aboriginal community as the traditional and ongoing custodians. We pay our respects to them, their culture and to elders past and present. We also acknowledge any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are here with us today.
TasWater commits to working collaboratively and respectfully with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to protect and sustain the precious resources on this ancient land for future generations.
Contact Us
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
Contact Information Phone 13 6992 Website www.taswater.com.au In writing GPO Box 1393, Hobart TAS 7001
