The river then flows in a north-easterly direction through Behn Gorge and discharges into Lake Argyle.

The tributary with the Ord River was the site of the original Argyle Downs homestead.

The river was named on 7 August 1879 by Alexander Forrest, who was exploring the area at the time.

[2]It was later determined that the river was really named after Ernst Behm, the renowned German geographer.

The headwaters of what has become known as the Behn River are close to the NT/WA border in what Alexander Forrest named the Sonder Pass in his journal.