The name of Atmospheric River (AR) is potentially misleading as it does not fully reflect its scientific meaning. Instead of suggesting there are rivers in the sky, ARs refer to narrow bands of strong horizontal water vapour transport concentrated in the lower troposphere with filamentary structures. It is called atmospheric river as water vapour flux carried by such a band is equivalent to the volume of water carried by big rivers on the ground. In recent decades it has attracted increasing attention in scientific communities, especially in North and South America and European regions due to its close association with heavy rainfall. Yet very limited research has been conducted in the Australia and Asian (A-A) region where the important role of atmospheric moisture transport has long been recognised. In this presentation we introduce a collaborative project between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and China Meteorological Administration which aims to explore detailed characteristics of atmospheric moisture transport in the region associated with ARs. The focus of the project in China is to use AR analysis to explore connections between moisture transport and extreme rainfall during the boreal summer monsoon season. In the Australian region we use AR analysis to help us understand connections between river-like Northwest Cloud Band and rainfall in the region. We will review its key scientific questions, highlight key outcomes from this collaborative project and some potential future activities. Results from this project have demonstrated the value and scientific benefits of applying AR analysis in the A-A region to achieve better rainfall forecasts at weather, sub-seasonal and seasonal time scales.