The Brown Treecreeper is distributed in east Australia from Queensland to Victoria and eastern South Australia. It is found in open eucalypt forest and red river gums beside rivers and lakes.

It is a grey-brown colour with a greyer head, a buffy eyebrow and a dark line through the eye. The breast is pale browny-grey with black-edged, buffy tear-drops on the lower breast and belly. Undertail coverts are white with black bars.