Coonalpyn (/ˈkʊnælpɪn/; koo-NAL-pin)[9] is a town and a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 143 kilometres (89 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 61 kilometres (38 mi) south-east of the municipal seat in Tailem Bend.

The town's name is derived from the Aboriginal word Coonalpyn, meaning "barren woman".

Coonalpyn Downs was chosen by John Barton Hack to name the property, and the railway station within its boundaries took the same name.

[3] Coonalpyn was considered as part of the Ninety Mile Desert until about 1949, when the land was developed by the AMP Society.

[more detail needed] The town became the seat for the District Council of Coonalpyn Downs, established on 30 May 1957.