| Walker | |
| Name Etymology: | Thomas Walker |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map: | Australia Northern Territory |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Walker River mouth in the Northern Territory |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Territory |
| Subdivision Name2: | Northern Territory |
| Length: | 119km (74miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 106m3/s |
| Source1: | Mitchell Ranges |
| Source1 Location: | Arnhem Land, Australia |
| Source1 Elevation: | 315m (1,033feet) |
| Mouth: | Blue Mud Bay |
| Mouth Location: | Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -13.5892°N 135.8328°W |
| Basin Size: | 9731km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Strawbridge Creek, Laurie Creek, Marura River |
| Tributaries Right: | Conway Creek |
| Extra: | [1] |
The Walker River is a river in the Northern Territory, Australia.
The headwaters of the river are in the Mitchell Ranges and the river flows in a southerly direction between Mount Ramsay and Mount Fleming and through Fairy Glen then down onto a plain then cuts through Bath Range under Mount Rankine and veering eastward. The river then passes the Aboriginal communities of Marrkalawa and Andanangki the past the Coast Range and discharges into Blue Mud Bay and the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea. The river catchment occupies an area of 9731km2 and is wedged between the Koolatong River catchment to the north, the Goyder River catchment to the west, and the Roper River catchment to the south.[2] It has a mean annual outflow of 3350GL.[3]
The estuary formed at the river mouth is in near pristine condition with a tidal delta.[4] The estuary at the river mouth occupies an area of 29.5ha of open water. It is river dominated in nature with a tide dominated delta with a single channel and is surrounded by an area of 30.9ha covered with mangroves.[5]
The traditional owners of the area are the Nunggubuyu people,[6] who have inhabited the area for thousands of years.
The river was named by the explorer, David Lindsay, during his expedition through Arnhem Land in 1883. Lindsay named it after Thomas Walker, the leader of the Blue Mud Bay prospecting party, who was murdered by Aboriginal people in the area in 1875.[7]