In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River.

The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range.

[5] The middle reaches pass through land cleared for agriculture, especially viticulture.

The mouth of the river is a small estuary, closed to the ocean by a sandbar that opens only seasonally.

Margaret River is presumed to be named after Margaret Wyche, cousin of John Garrett Bussell (founder of Busselton) in 1832.