Take a moment to consider a different path. At a time when both science and the environment are marginalised in the political arena, intelligent minds may look to different ways of thinking to redress the balance. Apart from as a source of water, the freshwater environment is practically invisible in society. For example, in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, freshwater is not as you might expect its own goal: “Life under Water”, but hidden within a single target under “Life on Land”. We are reminded of this daily in our professional lives, as we compete for research funds or see another wetland cleared for ‘development’. In this talk, I introduce the capacity for systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches to engage broader interest in, and responsibility for, fresh and inland water environments. Traditional discipline-based science and systems approaches can fit seamlessly to their mutual benefit, with appropriate design. I will describe successful examples of systems/transdisciplinary approaches in science, management and training, consider the ‘hooks’ by which people are engaged and illustrate the possibilities for improved environmental and societal outcomes. The newly fledged Australian Freshwater Sciences Society is perfectly placed to implement systems-thinking and be instrumental in better environmental outcomes for inland waters, raising both the profile of the society and its members.