Land and people

The Dieri people live in Australia, primarily in South Australia and western New South Wales. Their traditional lands are in the far north of South Australia, to the east of Lake Eyre. Dieri country is traversed by the lower reaches of Cooper Creek — a mostly dry watercourse that runs from western Queensland, through Innamincka (of Burke and Wills fame) and into Lake Eyre. The Birdsville Track also passes through Dieri country. This is one of the driest and hottest regions of Australia with an average annual rainfall of about 100mm (or 4 inches) and summer temperatures regularly reaching 45 degrees centigrade, however the whole of the area was occupied by the Dieri and is covered with placenames and important mythological sites.

The following map shows the area of Dieri Native Title (consent determination May 2012).

Today, there are about 1,500 people who identify as Dieri and they mostly live in Port Augusta, Adelaide, and Broken Hill. They are represented by the Dieri Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, which is located in Port Augusta, South Australia. Today there are a few Elders who can speak the language fluently, while there are quite a lot who have some command of it. Most Dieri community members know words and expressions, and people of all ages are very keen to learn more about the language.

See also More information.