The Ord is one of the great rivers of the Kimberley and flows from the central, southern margin of the region, across the Traditional country of the Kija and Miriwoong Gajerrong peoples, through sandstone gorges, tropical savannah grasslands and mangrove wetlands to the Timor Sea. In the late sixties the Ord was dammed to form the Ord River Irrigation Area which has since flourished as a centre of tropical agriculture and horticulture. Kununurra township, which was established to support the development of the irrigation scheme, has today, a growing population of over 6,000.
Ord Land and Water was formed in March of 1998 by the local community as a means to ensure, especially through community participation, sustainable natural resource management in the Ord River Irrigation Area and environs of Kununurra.
Traditional Owners, farmers and non-farmers work together with government and non-government organizations to maximize the use of local knowledge, experience and academic research, to ensure that local natural resource management practices, policy and planning promote a healthy environment, economy and community.