Finke River

Last updated

Finke
FinkeR8.jpg
The Finke River after rain, Northern Territory
Lake eyre basin map.png
Map of the Lake Eyre Basin showing the Finke River
Etymology William Finke
Native nameLara Beinta (Western Arrarnta) ("Salt River")
Location
Country Australia
State Northern Territory, South Australia
Physical characteristics
Length750 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, one of four main rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin and 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.

Contents

Geography

The source of the Finke River is in the Northern Territory's MacDonnell Ranges, which flows through central Australia. The name is first applied at the confluence of the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks, just north of Mount Zeil. [2] From here the river meanders for about 600 km (370 mi) to the western edge of the Simpson Desert in northern South Australia. [3] It flows through the West MacDonnell and Finke Gorge National Parks.[ citation needed ]

Usually the river is a string of waterholes, but it can become a raging torrent during rare flood events. In extreme instances, water from the Finke River flows into the Macumba River, which empties into Lake Eyre – a total distance from headwater streams of about 750 km (470 mi). Major tributaries include Ellery Creek, and the Palmer and Hugh Rivers.[ citation needed ]

History

Wangkangurru (also known as Arabana/Wangkangurru, Wangganguru, Wanggangurru, Wongkangurru) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Wangkangurru country. It is closely related to Arabana language of South Australia. The Wangkangurru language region was traditionally in the South Australian-Queensland border region, taking in Birdsville and extending south towards Innamincka and Lake Eyre, including the local government areas of the Shire of Diamantina and the Outback Communities Authority of South Australia. [4]

Names

Finke River is normally a string of waterholes Finke River.jpg
Finke River is normally a string of waterholes

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. [5]

The Aboriginal name for the river in parts of the Northern Territory, usually taken as Larapinta, may have been incorrectly translated by its first transcriber, the explorer Ernest Giles. In August 1872, while camped at Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station, Giles was the first "outsider" to record the Arrernte name for the Finke River. He incorrectly deduced from his conversations with Southern Arrernte that the name was derived from the gigantic mythological snake (known as the Rainbow Serpent) which was believed to have created the river, and thought that larapinta meant snake in the local language. However in July 1876, Rev. Georg A. Heidenreich, the Superintendent of the Finke River Mission Station (Hermannsburg), [6] [7] appears to have been the first to have confirmed the Western Arrernte name of the river, which was actually "Lara Beinta", which means "Salt River". This translation is now widely accepted because the Finke contains certain waterholes that are constantly salty (one of which is named "Salt Hole" in English). The legend of its derivation from the serpent is nonetheless held by the local people. [8]

The original spelling was a deliberate choice used for the main exit road west from Alice Springs, Larapinta Drive, as it leads to the Finke River at Hermannsburg; [6] [9] the name was also used for an Alice Springs suburb and the Larapinta Trail. (Larapinta, Queensland may have a different derivation.)

Antiquity of the Finke River

On rare occasions, the Finke River becomes a torrent fed by tropical rains upstream. After several bridges on the now-closed Central Australia Railway were washed away, rails were laid permanently on the bed of the river. In February 1953, after two days waiting at Finke township nearby, the river level was low enough for a steam-hauled train - The Ghan - to proceed slowly across. Ghan train crossing flooded Finke River, Northern Territory, Australia ca 13 Feb 1953 (Peter Dunham).jpg
On rare occasions, the Finke River becomes a torrent fed by tropical rains upstream. After several bridges on the now-closed Central Australia Railway were washed away, rails were laid permanently on the bed of the river. In February 1953, after two days waiting at Finke township nearby, the river level was low enough for a steam-hauled train – The Ghan – to proceed slowly across.

The Finke River is frequently cited as the oldest river in the world. [10] [11] Its age has been deduced from observation and analysis of various factors in the geology of the area. In places such as the James Range, the Finke flows through deeply incised meanders. [12] [13] Because meanders only form on flat plains, the river must have formed before the ranges were pushed up; this happened in a mountain building event referred to as the Alice Springs Orogeny which peaked between 400 and 300 million years ago (Devonian to Carboniferous Periods, both within the Paleozoic Era). [14] [15] It is not possible to say with absolute confidence that it is the very oldest river, but it is certainly one of the oldest rivers in the world. [16]

However, southern parts of its course must be much younger, because the areas where the Finke now flows near the southern edge of the Northern Territory, and further south, were under the sea during the Mesozoic Era, [14] part of the Great Artesian Basin.

The antiquity of the Finke River is not unique, but applies equally to other large mountain-sourced river systems in central Australia, such as the Todd and Hale Rivers and many others, because most of the central Australian mountain belts formed at around the same time. [17] There are other eroded mountain ranges of equal or greater age to the MacDonnell Ranges, both in Australia and on other continents, so present rivers in those areas may have evolved from ancestral streams of equal or greater antiquity than the Finke.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Eyre</span> Endorheic lake in South Australia

Lake Eyre, officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in the east-central part of the Far North region of South Australia, some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. The shallow lake is the depocentre of the vast endorheic Lake Eyre basin, and contains the lowest natural point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (49 ft) below sea level. On the rare occasions that it fills completely, it is the largest lake in Australia, covering an area of up to 9,500 km2 (3,668 sq mi). When the lake is full, it has the same salinity as seawater, but becomes hypersaline as the lake dries up and the water evaporates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finke Gorge National Park</span> Protected area in the Northern Territory, Australia

Finke Gorge National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 1,318 kilometres (819 mi) south of the territory capital of Darwin. The national park covers an area of 458 km2 (177 sq mi), and includes the impressive desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area. There are good opportunities for bushwalking and bushcamping in the national park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Springs</span> Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Alice Springs, is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory, Australia. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd, wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd. Known colloquially as 'The Alice' or simply 'Alice', the town is situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre. It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Eyre basin</span> Drainage basin in Australia

The Lake Eyre basin is a drainage basin that covers just under one-sixth of all Australia. It is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and amongst the largest in the world, covering about 1,200,000 square kilometres (463,323 sq mi), including much of inland Queensland, large portions of South Australia and the Northern Territory, and a part of western New South Wales. The basin is also one of the largest, least-developed arid zone basins with a high degree of variability anywhere. It supports only about 60,000 people and has no major irrigation, diversions or flood-plain developments. Low density grazing that sustains a large amount of wildlife is the major land use, occupying 82% of the total land within the basin. The Lake Eyre basin of precipitation to a great extent geographically overlaps the Great Artesian Basin underneath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper Creek</span> River in Queensland, South Australia

The Cooper Creek is a river in the Australian states of Queensland and South Australia. It was the site of the death of the explorers Burke and Wills in 1861. It is sometimes known as the Barcoo River from one of its tributaries and is one of three major Queensland river systems that flow into the Lake Eyre basin. The flow of the creek depends on monsoonal rains falling months earlier and many hundreds of kilometres away in eastern Queensland. It is 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermannsburg, Northern Territory</span> Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Hermannsburg, also known as Ntaria, is an Aboriginal community in Ljirapinta Ward of the MacDonnell Shire in the Northern Territory of Australia, 125 kilometres (78 mi); west southwest of Alice Springs, on the Finke River, in the traditional lands of the Western Arrarnta people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacDonnell Ranges</span> Mountain range in the Northern Territory, Australia

The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of 3,929,444 hectares. The range is a 644 km (400 mi) long series of mountains in central Australia, consisting of parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs. The mountain range contains many spectacular gaps and gorges as well as areas of Aboriginal significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larapinta Trail</span> Walking track in the Northern Territory of Australia

The Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory of Australia. Its total length covers 223 kilometres (139 mi) from east to west, with the eastern end at Alice Springs and the western end at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountains. It follows the West MacDonnell Ranges, sometimes along the ridge line, other times on the plain below, in the West MacDonnell National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrernte language</span> Dialect cluster of Central Australia

Arrernte or Aranda or sometimes referred to as Upper Arrernte, is a dialect cluster in the Arandic language group spoken in parts of the Northern Territory, Australia, by the Arrernte people. Other spelling variations are Arunta or Arrarnta, and all of the dialects have multiple other names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrernte people</span> Group of Aboriginal Australian people

The Arrerntepeople, sometimes referred to as the Aranda, Arunta or Arrarnta, are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the Arrernte lands, at Mparntwe and surrounding areas of the Central Australia region of the Northern Territory. Many still speak one of the various Arrernte dialects. Some Arrernte live in other areas far from their homeland, including the major Australian cities and overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Diamantina</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Shire of Diamantina is a local government area in Central West Queensland, bordering South Australia and the Northern Territory. Its administrative centre is in the town of Bedourie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outback Communities Authority</span> Local government area in South Australia

The Outback Communities Authority (OCA) is a statutory authority in South Australia (SA) created under the Outback Communities Act 2009. It has been established to "manage the provision of public services and facilities to outback communities" which are widely dispersed across the Pastoral Unincorporated Area which covers almost 60% of South Australia's land area. The authority has its seat at both Port Augusta which is located outside the unincorporated area and at Andamooka. The authority serves an area of 624,339 square kilometres, slightly smaller than France. The area has a population of 3,750, of whom 639 are Indigenous Australians, and includes several large pastoral leases and mining operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabana language</span> Australian Aboriginal language

Arabana or Arabuna is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken by the Wongkanguru and Arabana people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory</span> Community in the Northern Territory, Australia

Haasts Bluff, also known as Ikuntji, is an Aboriginal Australian community in Central Australia, a region of the Northern Territory. The community is located in the MacDonnell Shire local government area, 227 kilometres (141 mi) west of Alice Springs. At the 2006 census, the community, including outstations, had a population of 207.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larapinta Drive</span>

Larapinta Drive is a designated state route in the Northern Territory of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macumba River</span> River in South Australia

Macumba River, once known as Treuer River, is an ephemeral freshwater stream in the far north of South Australia, that is part of the Lake Eyre Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areyonga, Northern Territory</span> Suburb of MacDonnell Region, the Northern Territory, Australia

Areyonga is a small town in the Northern Territory of Australia, located about 220 km (140 mi) west of Alice Springs. As of 2016 it had a population of about 195, most of whom are Aboriginal people of the Pitjantjatjara language group.

Larapinta is the Arrernte name for the Finke River in Australia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabana people</span> Aboriginal Australian people of South Australia

The Arabana, also known as the Ngarabana, are an Aboriginal Australian people of South Australia.

The Wangkangurru, also written Wongkanguru and Wangkanguru, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Simpson Desert area in the state of South Australia. They also refer to themselves as Nharla.

References

  1. ↑ "Map of Finke River, NT". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Google Maps image
  3. ↑ Google Maps image
  4. ↑ CC BY icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Wangkangurru". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland . Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Finke River: Northern Territory Place Names Register (accessed 1 October 2007)
  6. 1 2 "The Finke River Mission Station". Trove. South Australian Register. 26 January 1886. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "Our history". Finke River Mission. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  8. ↑ Kimber, Richard (2009). "Chapter 13. Placenames of central Australia: Early European records and recent experience". In Harold Koch; Luise Hercus (eds.). Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and re-naming the Australian landscape. Aboriginal History Monograph. Australian National University. Aboriginal History Incorporated. p. 23. ISBN   9781921666087 . Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "Larapinta". Northern Territory Place Names Register. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  10. ↑ "Oldest rivers in the world". Oldest.org. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Gilles, Shakes (11 May 2018). "The oldest river in the world". Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  12. ↑ Pickup G, Allan G, Baker VR (1988). Warner RF (ed.). "History, palaeochannels and palaeofloods of the Finke River, central Australia". Fluvial Geomorphology of Australia. London: Academic Press: 177–200.
  13. ↑ See Google Maps image
  14. 1 2 Wells AT, Forman DJ, Ranford LC, Cook PJ (1970). "Geology of the Amadeus Basin, Central Australia". Bureau of Mineral Resources, Australia, Bulletin. 100.
  15. ↑ Haines PW, Hand M, Sandiford M (2001). "Palaeozoic synorogenic sedimentation in central and northern Australia: a review of distribution and timing with implications for the evolution of intracontinental orogens". Australian Journal of Earth Sciences. 48 (6): 911–928. doi:10.1046/j.1440-0952.2001.00909.x. Abstract [ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "Australian landforms and their history". Australian Government. Geoscience Australia. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Mabbutt JA (1967). Jennings JN, Mabbutt JA (eds.). "Denudation chronology in central Australia: Structure, climate and landform inheritance in the Alice Springs area". Landform Studies from Australia and New Guinea. Canberra: Australian National University Press: 144–181.

24°08′39.55″S132°52′20.76″E / 24.1443194°S 132.8724333°E / -24.1443194; 132.8724333

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.