But to her surprise, the environmental water manager was herself invited to take part.

Mrs Ning, of Murray Darlings Wetlands Working Group, is among the subjects for Women of the River, with her photo and story revealed on a wall at Mann Central Shopping Centre this week.

The project, connected to next week's Upstream festival, also includes installations at Wodonga's Junction Place and Gateway Island.

Curator/writer Aimee Chan said the temporary pieces aimed to highlight the Murray River, a defining characteristic to Border visitors that could be taken for granted by residents, as well as some "unsung heroes".

"Look at the relationship between the two, how we use our river, why it's important and what these women are doing for our communities," she said.

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Mrs Ning works with private landholders to rehabilitate wetlands that have been degraded, but also enjoys using the river for recreation.

"The whole catchment is really important to this area and we're very lucky that we do have some really high quality creeks and rivers running into the Murray," she said.

Her early morning photo shoot with photographer Rachael Emmily saw both of them donning waders.

"It was really quite fun, standing in the water surrounded by beautiful river red gums and wetland plants," she said. "It was quite lovely."

Photographer Jason Robins appreciated meeting Maureen Coates (Auntie Maggih), the subject of his portrait on the Sustainable Activity Centre building.

"While we were doing the shoot, we were talking about her heritage on the water and her upbringing on the water," he said.

Dr Chan said the artworks, which would be on display for about six weeks, had "all turned out beautifully".

"I think we've got a really good mix of different age groups, different demographics and different life experiences," she said.

Mrs Ning was also pleased with the results.

"We always think, 'Oh gosh, is that me?' on a big image, but ... I feel really lucky to be in that shot and share my limelight with the wetland," she said.