The Canning Stock Route passes down the western shores of the lake and the surrounds consist mostly of sand dunes.

[3][4] In indigenous culture, Kumpupintil was off-limits to the tribes neighbouring the area, such as the Kurajarra, Wanman, Kartudjara and the Putidjara.

The reason for the taboo, existing down to modern times, derives from the lake's mythological associations with the Ngayurnangalku spirits thought to live below its surface.

This prohibition extended to flying over the area, since the Ngayurnangalku, ancestral cannibal beings with pointy teeth and clawlike fingernails,[5] are deemed capable of attacking even planes that intrude over the lake's airspace.

He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them, expecting to find a large fresh water lake.