Continuing to flow westward the river eventually discharges into Stokes Bay, King Sound which is north-east of Derby.

The river was named in 1881 by a pioneer of the area, George Julius Brockman during an expedition in the Kimberley area.

The river is named after HMS Meda, an Admiralty surveying vessel that charted the coastline in the area including the river mouth in 1880.

The traditional owners of the areas around the river are the Ongkarango people.

This article related to a river in Western Australia is a stub.