An immersive Melbourne Water education program that turns participants into water decision-makers has received national recognition for setting a new benchmark in customer engagement.
Future Water Story: Shaping WaterSmart Communities Through Immersive Learning won the Customer Experience Award, sponsored by WSAA, at the 2026 Australian Water Awards in May.
The program was recognised for its innovative, co-designed approach, combining immersive technology, cultural integration, continuous collaboration and measurable outcomes to strengthen water literacy and give customers an active role in exploring Melbourne’s water future.
Rather than telling people what a sustainable water future should look like, Future Water Story invites them to create one.
Melbourne Water Manager Water Literacy Melissa Cordy said the program was designed to empower participants to become decision-makers rather than observers.
“Instead of being told about water challenges, they actively explore them and experience the consequences of different choices,” she said.
“People leave with a deeper appreciation that water is finite, valuable and something we all have a role in caring for.”
Located at Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant in Werribee, Future Water Story allows participants to work together to shape a fictional city over three decades.
Through role-play, real-world data and scenario planning, participants consider the challenges associated with water security, population growth, climate change and increasing environmental pressures.
They must examine evidence, negotiate competing priorities and make collective decisions. The consequences are modelled in real time, allowing participants to see how their choices influence the city as it develops.
“We knew that simply providing information wasn’t enough,” Cordy said.
“People need the opportunity to experience the real challenges, tensions and trade-offs in water management, especially for a growing city.”
The experience helps make visible the connections between decisions made today and consequences that may not emerge for many years.
“One of the most powerful aspects of the experience is seeing the long-term impacts of decisions they’ve made earlier,” Cordy said.
“Learning becomes tangible. For example, participants can see, through experience, how additional water sources and infrastructure upgrades can enhance water security.”
Importantly, there is no single correct pathway through the program. Participants are expected to encounter different perspectives and disagree about priorities as they work towards shared decisions.
“The immersive approach creates richer conversations and highlights the importance of collaboration,” Cordy said.
“Participants quickly realise there’s rarely one perfect solution to water-related challenges, and that collective efforts across government, industry and the community are crucial.”
Future Water Story reflects a broader shift in how water utilities can engage with customers.
While traditional engagement often focuses on presenting information or seeking feedback on established proposals, the program instead creates space for participants to test ideas, explore consequences and experience the complexity of water planning for themselves.
“Water management is complex, and much of it is invisible to the public,” Cordy said.
“The Future Water Story program helps people connect decisions made today with impacts that may not be felt for decades.”
This approach encourages participants to consider water management as a shared responsibility rather than a challenge for utilities to solve alone.
“The Future Water Story reinforces a simple idea: when people understand the challenges, see the outcomes of their decisions and feel their voice matters, they’re far more likely to become active in shaping a sustainable water future,” Cordy said.
The design also enables people to engage through discussion, data, visual information, storytelling and collaboration. This has supported participation among students with a range of learning backgrounds.
“We frequently hear from teachers that students from varying learning backgrounds participate in ways they don’t always see in a typical classroom environment,” Cordy said.
“It reinforces the importance of negotiation, leadership and collective problem-solving.”
Developed through research and community conversations, Future Water Story was co-designed with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Wadawurrung artist Chloe Chatterton.
Cordy said cultural perspectives were incorporated throughout the program’s development rather than added after its central design had been established.
“Our conversations with communities and Traditional Owners shaped key elements of the project design, such as the arrangement of the learning space and references to places of significance to cultural storytelling,” she said.
“The Indigenous artwork displayed at the learning centre also carries a powerful message about water as the lifeblood of Country and all living things.”
This collaboration shaped not only what participants learn, but also how they move through and experience the space.
“The co-design approach has created more than a learning program,” Cordy said.
“It has strengthened relationships, deepened cultural understanding and established a foundation for future collaboration.”
Two years into the program, demand and repeat participation indicate that the experience is resonating with customers. About one-third of visitation is now from repeat customers, while bookings regularly reach capacity.
“The strong repeat visitation and ongoing demand regularly reaching our capacity tell us that the program is delivering engaging and meaningful outcomes,” Cordy said.
Its success also demonstrates the value of place-based environmental education. By connecting complex water challenges with participants’ own communities and futures, the program makes large-scale planning more immediate and relevant.
“Participants connect more deeply when they can see how water challenges relate directly to their own communities and future,” Cordy said.
For Melbourne Water, the purpose is not to prescribe a set of behaviours or provide participants with a perfect answer, but to equip people with the understanding and confidence to begin their own conversations about water.
“The Future Water Story is about empowering customers to start their own water conversations, instead of telling them what to do,” Cordy said.
“It’s about creating a greater sense of ownership, optimism and agency among customers. It also demonstrates customer engagement can go beyond consultation, facilitating genuine exploration and participation.”
Nominations for the 2026–27 awards season are now open. Nominate outstanding organisations, individuals, and students here.