Monitoring of waterway ecology, geomorphology and values have for a long time involved arduous days in the field with lots of time on hands and knees. Field methods have also been limited in recognising patterns or explicitly linking to drivers of change such as flow. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or ‘drones’ has dramatically increased opportunities and our understanding. We have been developing drone waterway monitoring methods and analyses over the last three years that go well-beyond simple imagery, and are now being applied to understand the links between flow, riverbank geomorphology, vegetation and cultural values. We present examples from the Murray Darling Basin including the River Murray, the Goulburn River (Victoria) and the Edward-Wakool (NSW). Findings include: an ability to dramatically increase the area of interest and georeferencing leading to greater recognition of patterns; higher resolution data leading to process-based understandings; direct linkages to hydraulic and hydrologic models to explicitly identify the role of flow; and perspectives that enable waterway values to be better characterised and stories to be told. Drone monitoring is considerably advancing our ability to identify the interactions between flow management and modify operations accordingly, whilst also enhancing engagement opportunities with stakeholders and the community. The sky is the limit!