Charnley River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

The river has its headwaters situated below Rocky Mountain in the Caroline Ranges and flows eastward across the Gardner Plateau and discharges into the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 via Walcott Inlet

Walcott Inlet

Walcott Inlet is an estuary located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The inlet is in length, with a width of and covering an area of .There is a single entry mouth to the inlet which is only wide and in length....

.

There are seven tributaries

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Charnley river these are; Pearson River, Maurice Creek, Synnot Creek, Kalumba Creek, Bayonet Creek, Maudie Creek and Kaangulman Creek.

The Calder River

Calder River (Western Australia)

The Calder River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises in the Elizabeth and Catherine Range and flows in a southerly direction eventually veering west along the northern edge of the Munja Aboriginal Reserve and dicharging into the Indian Ocean via Walcott...

 also flows into Walcott inlet.

Frank Hann

Frank Hann

Frank Hugh Hann was an explorer in Western Australia, who in 1897 named Lake Disappointment. Hann was in the area exploring the east Pilbara, around Rudall River. He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them expecting to find a large fresh water lake...

 named the Charnley river in 1898 after the pastoralist and miner Walter Chearnley from Nullagine

Nullagine, Western Australia

Nullagine is an old goldrush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is located on the Nullagine River 296 km south-east of Port Hedland and 1,364 km north-north-east of Perth on the old Great Northern Highway....

whose name was mis-spelt when Hann recorded the name in his diary.