It eventually discharges into Endeavour Strait near Van Spoult Head opposite Prince of Wales Island and into the northern waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, part of the Coral Sea.

[5] The river catchment occupies an area of 3,282 square kilometres (1,267 sq mi) of mostly uninhabited country; some 219 square kilometres (85 sq mi) of the catchment is made up of mostly freshwater wetlands.

[7] A total of 46 species of fish are found in the river, including sailfin glassfish, Macleay's glassfish, barred grunter, marbled eel, hardyhead, pennyfish, mouth almighty, goby, empire gudgeon, barramundi, oxeye herring, northern trout gudgeon, seven-spot archerfish and banded rainbowfish.

In early 1865 the Jardines had just survived a pitched battle with the local Indigenous Australians and had some horses drown while crossing the Batavia River.

The party was low on ammunition and food when they came across a stream they thought was an escape but was not; they named it Deception River.