The Coongie Lakes is located in the north-east corner of South Australia about 1,046 kilometres (650 miles) north of the Adelaide city centre.

The surrounding region is arid and has a very low human population density; it is used mainly for cattle grazing, as well as for oil and gas production, and is becoming increasingly important for tourism.

[5] The banks and the periodically flooded areas of Cooper Creek and Coongie Lakes wetland system are vegetated by river red gums and coolibahs, often with a dense understorey of lignum thickets.

[5] Major floods, generally originating in heavy rainfall in western Queensland, initiate a period of rapid, opportunistic plant growth and an influx of wildlife, especially of large numbers of waterbirds such as ducks, cormorants, pelicans, ibises, spoonbills, herons and waders that aggregate to feed and breed before dispersing as the waters recede.

[3]: 16 An area of 593.2 square kilometres (229.0 square miles) located at the northern of the wetland system and that is specifically associated with a number of water bodies has been identified as an important bird area by Birdlife International because it supports “more than 1% of the world populations of 12 species of waterbird and shorebird” as well as “populations of the vulnerable Australian painted snipe, the near threatened blue-billed duck, the restricted-range Eyrean grasswren and five species restricted to the arid biome.”[1]