Eucalyptus coolabah is a eucalypt of riparian zones and is found throughout Australia from arid inland to coastal regions. The plant is commonly called coolibah or coolabah, the name being a loanword from the Indigenous Australian Yuwaaliyaay word, gulabaa. E. coolabah is a wide-spreading tree (often more wide than tall) and reaches up to 15 m in height. The bark is box-like (persistent, dark grey, thick, furrowed) on the trunk and lower branches, but smooth pale grey up the top.