The Western catchment is the largest catchment in NSW, covering 230,000 square kilometres and supports a population of 18,000 people. It includes the Bourke and Brewarrina shires, significant portions of the Cobar, Central Darling and Walgett shires and a substantial unincorporated area.

A significant portion of the region covers 20 percent of Australia's largest catchment, the Murray-Darling Basin. Major towns include Broken Hill, Ivanhoe, Cobar, Bourke, Walgett, Brewarrina, Lightning Ridge and Wilcannia.

The region encompasses a series of river systems - Barwon-Darling, Culgoa, Paroo, Warrego, Narran, Bokhara and Birrie rivers - some of which are ephemeral.

The Western Catchment contributes on average 48 200 bales of cotton to the industry annually, with a total of 10 360 hectares of cotton grown.