TheFinke River,orLarapintain the IndigenousArrernte language,is a river incentral Australia,whose bed courses through theNorthern Territoryand the state ofSouth Australia.It is one of the four main rivers ofLake Eyre Basinand 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 theSimpson Desert,rarely if ever reachingLake Eyre.
| Finke | |
|---|---|
 The Finke River after rain,Northern Territory | |
 Map of theLake Eyre Basinshowing the Finke River | |
| 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] | |
Geography
editThe source of the Finke River is in the Northern Territory'sMacDonnell Ranges,which flows through central Australia. The name is first applied at the confluence of the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks, just north ofMount Zeil.[2]From here, the river meanders for about 600 km (370 mi) to the western edge of theSimpson Desertin northern South Australia.[3]It flows through theWest MacDonnellandFinke Gorge National Parks.[citation needed]
Usually the river is a string of waterholes, but it can become a raging torrent during rare flood events, fed by tropical rains upstream. In extreme instances, water from the Finke River flows into theMacumba 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
editWangkangurruis anAustralian Aboriginal languagespoken onWangkangurrucountry. It is closely related toArabana languageof South Australia. The Wangkangurru language region was traditionally in the South Australian-Queenslandborder region, taking inBirdsvilleand extending south towardsInnaminckaand Lake Eyre, including thelocal government areasof theShire of Diamantinaand theOutback Communities Authorityof South Australia.[4]
After several bridges on the now-closedCentral Australia Railwaywere washed away by floods, rails were laid permanently on the bed of the river. In February 1953, after two days waiting atFinketownship nearby, the river level was low enough for a steam-hauled train –The Ghan– to proceed slowly across.[citation needed]
Names
editThe Finke River was named byJohn McDouall Stuartin 1860 after anAdelaideman,William Finke,who was one of the promoters of his expedition.[5]
TheAboriginalname for the river in parts of the Northern Territory, usually taken asLarapinta,may have been incorrectly translated by its first transcriber, the explorerErnest Giles.In August 1872, while camped atCharlotte WatersTelegraph Station, Giles was the first "outsider" to record the Arrernte name for the Finke River. He incorrectly deduced from his conversations withSouthern Arrerntethat the name was derived from the gigantic mythological snake (known as theRainbow Serpent) which was believed to have created the river, and thought thatlarapintameant snake in the local language. However in July 1876, Rev. Georg A. Heidenreich, the Superintendent of theFinke 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 fromAlice Springs,Larapinta Drive, as it leads to the Finke River atHermannsburg;[6][9]the name was also used foran Alice Springs suburband theLarapinta Trail.(Larapinta, Queenslandmay have a different derivation.)
Antiquity of the Finke River
editThe Finke River is frequently cited asthe oldest river in the world.[10][11]Its age has been deduced from observation and analysis of various factors in thegeologyof the area. In places such as the James Range, the Finke flows through deeplyincised meanders.[12][13]Because meanders only form on flat plains, the river must be anantecedent stream,and have formed before the ranges were pushed up; this happened in amountain building eventreferred to as theAlice Springs Orogenywhich peaked between 400 and 300 million years ago (DevoniantoCarboniferousPeriods, both within thePaleozoicEra).[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 theMesozoicEra,[14]part of theGreat 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 theToddandHaleRivers 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.[citation needed]
TV series
editThe 2023 six-part documentary seriesLarapintalooks at the people, stories, and science of the Finke River. Created byArrernteandLuritjawoman Talia Liddle, the series features historians, scientists, andtraditional owners,who share their stories and knowledge.Songlinesand stories fromThe Dreamingadd to academic data about the river and surrounds. Cinematography is by Torstein Dyrting. The series aired onNITVfrom 19 August 2023, as well as being available onSBS On Demand.[18][19]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"Map of Finke River, NT".Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia.Retrieved23 March2017.
- ^Google Maps image
- ^Google Maps image
- ^
This Wikipedia article incorporatesCC-BY-4.0licensedtext from:"Wangkangurru".Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map.State Library of Queensland.Retrieved23 January2020.
- ^Finke River: Northern Territory Place Names Register(accessed 1 October 2007)
- ^ab"The Finke River Mission Station".Trove.South Australian Register. 26 January 1886.Retrieved15 May2019.
- ^"Our history".Finke River Mission.Retrieved16 May2019.
- ^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.ISBN9781921666087.Retrieved15 May2019.
- ^"Larapinta".Northern Territory Place Names Register.Retrieved1 October2007.
- ^"Oldest rivers in the world".Oldest.org.Retrieved16 May2019.
- ^Gilles, Shakes (11 May 2018)."The oldest river in the world".Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2019.Retrieved16 May2019.
- ^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.
- ^See Google Maps image
- ^abWells AT, Forman DJ, Ranford LC, Cook PJ (1970). "Geology of the Amadeus Basin, Central Australia".Bureau of Mineral Resources, Australia, Bulletin.100.
- ^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.
- ^"Australian landforms and their history".Geoscience Australia.Australian Government.Retrieved16 May2019.
- ^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.
- ^Weetra, Kyron (25 August 2023)."Breathtaking documentary Larapinta takes viewers to the heart of Australia".InReview.Retrieved2 September2023.
- ^"Majestic Central Australian environmental documentary series, Larapinta, premieres on NITV and SBS On Demand in August".SBS Corporate.24 July 2023.Retrieved2 September2023.
