South Australian Rivers - Finke River
Outlet/Basin: Lake Eyre
Course: 1100km
The Finke River flows through the Northern Territory and South Australia and starts near Glen Helen in the MacDonnell Ranges at an elevation of 652m. The Finke River drops around 553m over its 1100km length. The name Finke River is first applied at the confluence of the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks, just north of Mount Zeil. From here the river meanders for approximately 600 km to the western edge of the Simpson Desert in northern South Australia. In extreme events water from the Finke River flows into the Macumba River which empties into Lake Eyre.
22 creeks and rivers flow into the Finke River. The five longest tributaries are: Hugh River, Palmer River, Goyder Creek, Ellery Creek and Rudalls Creek. Some believe it is one of the oldest rivers in the world with some parts of having been formed during the Devonian to Carboniferous Periods about 400 to 300 million years ago.
The Finke River was named by John McDouall Stuart in 1860 after an Adelaide man William Finke who was one of the promoters of his expedition.