Abstract: Restrictions on the use of water supplied by water corporations are frequently introduced in Australian cities whenever the demand for water exceeds the experienced or anticipated supply. This paper examines evidence from a stratified random survey of 2179 households in Sydney in a period when restrictions on domestic water use outside the home had just been imposed. The paper explores attitudes and responses to the imposition of water restrictions on external water uses in different kinds of dwellings in different parts of Sydney. The survey focused on reported water consumption behaviour and was enriched by information obtained from a series of follow-up focus groups. The research revealed a range of responses which, in part, reflected differences in dwelling attributes and capacities of water consumers to respond to water restrictions, which in turn is reflected in differences in attitudes towards water conservation.