Australia's Finke River is often called the oldest river on Earth, but the science behind the claim is far more complicated

• Somewhere in the dry heart of Central Australia runs a river with a reputation far bigger than its size.
• The Finke, also known by its Arrernte name Lhere Pirnte and commonly called Larapinta, is often described as the oldest river system on earth, older than the dinosaurs and already flowing before the first reptile ever walked on land.
• It is a striking claim, and one that sounds almost too neat to be true.