The river rises near Sevenhill and flows generally in a northern direction through the town of Clare and through good farming and pastoral country before reaching its confluence with the Broughton River south of Spalding.

It is one of several Mid North streams visited in early April 1839 by explorer John Hill.

[3] Hill named the river after Sir William Hutt, who was one of the South Australian Colonization Commissioners in London.

Hill traced the Hutt downstream to just below the present town of Clare.

In late May 1839, based upon information supplied by Hill, the explorer Edward John Eyre followed in Hill's footsteps, tracing it downstream to its junction with the Broughton River.