The river rises on a plateau area near the Wingate Mountains and flows in a north westerly direction through mostly uninhabited country through a narrow valley then across the Moyle Plain and eventually discharging about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north east of Port Keats into Hyland Bay and then the Timor Sea.

Mangroves are found along the stretches of the river, creeks and channels that are often backed by saline flats.

[2] The Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains, an important bird area, is situated immediately to the north of the site.

[3] The estuary at the river mouth occupies an area of 7.8 hectares (19 acres) of open water.

[5] It has a mean annual outflow of 640 gigalitres (837,100,000 cu yd),[6] A total of 25 species of fish are found in the river including; the Sailfin Glassfish, Barred Grunter, Sooty Grunter, Fly-specked Hardyhead, Empire Gudgeon, Northern Trout Gudgeon, Pennyfish, Barramundi, Oxeye Herring, Western Rainbowfish, Black-banded Rainbowfish, Bony Bream, Black Catfish, Short-finned Catfish, Seven-spot Archerfish and the Primitive Archerfish.