 The northern river shark has been reported from King Sound, the Ord River, and Doctors Creek near Derby, Western Australia, the Adelaide and Alligator Rivers in Australia's Northern Territory, and the Daru region and possibly the Fly River in Papua New Guinea.It inhabits large rivers, estuaries, and coastal bays, all of which are characterized by high turbidity, silty or muddy bottoms, and large tides.Young and juvenile sharks are found in fresh, brackish, and salt water (salinity ranging from 2 to 36 ppt), whereas adults have only been found in marine environments.