The Williams River is one of the two major tributaries of the Murray River

Murray River (Western Australia)

The Murray River is a river in the southwest of Western Australia which played a significant part in the expansion of Aboriginal settlement in the area south of Perth after the arrival of British settlers at the Swan River Colony in 1829....

 in 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 other being the Hotham River

Hotham River

The Hotham River is one of the major tributaries of the Murray River in Western Australia. It is about 160km long in total with its upper reaches being the Hotham River North, which begins in the Dutarning Range and joins the Hotham at its crossing of the Great Southern Highway near Popanyinning...

.

It starts between Williams

Williams, Western Australia

Williams is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway and 32 kilometres west of Narrogin. The Williams River passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Williams had a population of 338.-History:Williams is...

 and Narrogin

Narrogin, Western Australia

Narrogin is a large town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Wagin...

 and flows in a general westerly direction before it joins the Hotham River to become the Murray River near Mount Saddleback.

The river has 12 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...

including Coolakin Gully, Warrening Gully, Junction Brook, Coalling Brook, Jim Went Creek and Fitts Creek.