The species was first identified in 1992, and is probably restricted to three creeks in urban Burnie. Two creeks, which have remnant stands of vegetation along their banks, are within the parks system of Burnie. They are under the control of the Burnie City Council and are protected. The third creek is of some concern, as the crayfish population is small and habitat has been nearly completely destroyed.
Water quality is also poor because of a refuse site upstream.
Shorewell creek, Burnie park. Cooee creek, this is the third creek and the one of greatest concern. The Burnie burrowing crayfish is approximately 3-4cm long and spends nearly all its time underground. They dig their burrows in moist flood plains of creeks or in seepage areas. Many burrow entrances are found under rotting logs and ground water is near to the surface, so foraging takes place in water.