The Finke River is one of Australia's most ancient and remarkable waterways, cutting through the heart of the Red Centre in the Northern Territory. Rising south of Mount Ziel in the MacDonnell Ranges, this intermittent river travels approximately 640 kilometres on a generally southeastern course before eventually reaching Lake Eyre in South Australia during major flood events via the Macumba Channel. The Finke passes through iconic landscapes including Glen Helen Gorge and Palm Valley, then meanders across the Missionary Plain before entering a 65-kilometre gorge between the Krichauff and James ranges. The river drains a vast basin of approximately 115,000 square kilometres and is widely regarded as one of the oldest river systems on Earth, believed to have followed the same course for up to 350 million years. Rather than flowing continuously, the Finke is characterised by a series of permanent and semi-permanent waterholes connected by sandy, often dry channels — and it is these waterholes that serve as the primary fishing destinations along the river.