Finke | |
---|---|
Etymology | William Finke |
Native name | Lara Beinta (Western Arrarnta) ("Salt River") |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | Northern Territory, South Australia |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 750 km (470 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Lake Eyre Basin |
National parks | West MacDonnell; Finke Gorge |
[1] |
The Finke River, or Larapinta in the Indigenous Arrernte language, is a river in central Australia, whose bed courses through the Northern Territory and the state of South Australia. It is one of the four main rivers of Lake Eyre Basin and is thought to be the oldest riverbed in the world. It flows for only a few days a year. When this happens, its water usually disappears into the sands of the Simpson Desert, rarely if ever reaching Lake Eyre.