Finke River facts for kids
The Finke River is a very old and important river in central Australia. It starts in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. The river forms where two smaller creeks, Davenport and Ormiston, meet. It flows for about 600 kilometers (370 miles) towards the Simpson Desert in South Australia.
Most of the time, the Finke River looks like a series of waterholes. But after heavy rains, it can turn into a powerful, fast-flowing river. During big floods, its water can even reach the Macumba River and eventually Lake Eyre. This journey can be about 750 kilometers (466 miles) long! Some of its main smaller rivers that flow into it are Ellery Creek, and the Palmer and Hugh Rivers. The Finke River also flows through the beautiful West MacDonnell and Finke Gorge National Parks.
The Finke River was named by John McDouall Stuart in 1860. He named it after William Finke, a man from Adelaide who helped pay for Stuart's trips. The Indigenous people have their own name for parts of the river in the Northern Territory: Larapinta. You might have heard of Larapinta Drive, a road west of Alice Springs, or the famous Larapinta walking trail.
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How Old is the Finke River?
The Finke River is often called "the oldest river in the world." This is especially true in popular books and by tour guides. In some places, like the James Range, the Finke River flows through deep, winding bends called incised meanders. These are like the loops a river makes on flat ground, but they are cut deeply into the rock.
Evidence of Ancient Origins
Because these loops usually form on flat land, it means the Finke River must have been flowing before the mountains around it were pushed up. This mountain-building event is called the Alice Springs Orogeny. It happened a very long time ago, between 400 and 300 million years ago. This was during the Devonian and Carboniferous Periods. This suggests that some parts of the Finke River's path have been around since then.
Younger Southern Sections
However, the southern parts of the river's course are much younger. The areas where the Finke River flows near the southern edge of the Northern Territory and further south were actually under the sea during the Mesozoic Era. This was part of the Great Artesian Basin. So, while parts of the river are incredibly old, other parts formed more recently.
Other Ancient Rivers
The Finke River's age is special, but it's not the only ancient river. Other large rivers in central Australia, like the Todd and Hale Rivers, also flow through mountains that formed at the same time. There are also other mountain ranges in Australia and around the world that are just as old, or even older, than the MacDonnell Ranges. Rivers in those areas might also have come from very old streams, possibly as old or older than the Finke.
