The river rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range within the Monga National Park about 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) east southeast of the village of Araluen.

[2] The river is crossed by the Kings Highway northwest of Clyde Mountain.

The river has a translocated population of the endangered Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica).

[3][4][5] It is thought that this population descends from fish from the Murray-Darling Basin and not the eastern sub-species native to other parts of the Shoalhaven catchment.

In recent years, this population seems to be in decline and may be doomed to local extinction.