The De Grey River is so named from the confluence of the Oakover and Nullagine rivers and flows generally westwards and north-westwards for about 200 kilometres into Breaker Inlet on the Indian Ocean.
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- De Grey River and tributary rivers.
The De Grey River is known to have estuarine crocodiles and bull sharks in its lower reaches (Great Northern Highway to the Indian Ocean).
The river was named by surveyor/explorer F.T.Gregory in August 1861 during his major North West Australia Expedition.
He named it ‘In honour of the noble Lord who took a lively interest in promoting the objects of the expedition’. This was Earl de Grey, later the Marquis of Ripon, who was President of the Royal Geographical Society in 1859-60.
Source:
F.T. Gregory’s journal