Coward Mound Springs were discovered by the Warburton expedition of 1858. The discovery of springs in outback South Australia attracted intense interest from pastoralists and they were also important resources in the building of the Overland Telegraph and Transcontinental Railway. The SA Government sunk a bore at Coward Springs in 1886, although it wasn't capped until three years later.

An article from the Chronicle, 21 June 1934, page 38 writes: The government bore at Coward Springs is 400 feet deep. The rush of water is so strong it shoots nearly 15 feet into the air, falling in a shower of spray and forming a most exquisite fountain... The supply is unending and never varies... A large pool of water, quite 40 feet long, lies at the foot of the fountain and the overflow fills a drain about six feet wide with a depth ranging from six inches to one foot. The inhabitants of Coward are justly proud of their beautiful fountain and talk enthusiastically of the delights of bathing under it in the summer...