Dimitra Koutoulis was born in the prefecture of Messinia and completed high school in Meligalas in 1951. She worked as a supervisor at the Minaides-Fotiades woollen mill until 1957. She emigrated to Australia with her sister, Dina Amanatides, the writer of poetry and short stories. She worked in factories in her early years in Australia. From 1973 she taught Modern Greek in community schools in Brunswick and from 1979 she worked as a teacher's aide in Greek at St Ambrose Catholic High School.
Her first poems appeared in 1959 in the newspaper Pyrsos. Subsequently her poetry and prose have been published also in other Greek-Australian newspapers, namely Phos, Nea Patrida and Ta Nea as well as in periodicals such as Ellinis and Antipodes. She has served as a committee member (1969-1970) and as treasurer (1971-1981) of the Brunswick Community Greek Women's Association.
