The Barker 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 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...

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The headwaters of the river rise North of Mount Matthew and then flow in southerly direction through Barker Gorge and then discharge into the Lennard River

Lennard River

Lennard River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises below the King Leopold Ranges and flows in a westerly direction through the Lennard River Gorge and the Windjana Gorge before merging with the Meda River....

 of which it is a tributary

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...

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John Forrest

John Forrest

Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....

 named the river during a survey of the Kimberley in 1883. The river is named after the wife of the then Governor Sir Frederick Napier Broome, Lady Mary Anne Barker.

The Barker has five 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...

; Fletcher River, Talbot Creek, Annie Creek, Mac Creek and Wombarella Creek.