[4] The headwaters of the river rise in the Haughton Valley of the Leichhardt Range near Mingela and flow in a north easterly direction almost immediately crossing the Flinders Highway.

Of this latter area, 316 square kilometres (122 sq mi) is composed of estuarine wetlands.

[8] A total of 27 species of fish have been found in the river, including the glassfish, Pacific short-finned eel, blue catfish, milkfish, fly-specked hardyhead, mouth almighty, empire gudgeon, barred grunter, barramundi, oxeye herring, mangrove jack, eastern rainbowfish, bony bream, freshwater longtom and seven-spot archerfish.

[5] The river was named in 1861 after Richard Houghton, a stockman, by his friend the pastoralist and explorer James Cassady.

Originally named Houghton River, it was renamed to the current spelling by the Surveyor General in 1950 at the request of local residents and the electoral office.