Apsley River rises in high country of the Tia Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, approximately west of the locality of Tia and approximately south of Walcha. The river flows generally north through the town of Walcha and on to make a dramatic spilling over the Apsley Falls, descending approximately into the Apsley Gorge, towards its confluence with the Macleay River, approximately southwest of the locality of Lower Creek. The Apsley River is joined by seven tributaries, including the Tia River and Yarrowitch River, as it makes its course, descending over .