AUSSIE SLANG Words and Phrases SPECIAL FOCUS May 1999

Dinky-di Aussie Swagman

THE BUSH, THE OUTBACK And Other Related terms Australia is a country only slightly smaller in physical size than the continental U.S., and both countries have the same general shape. Therefore, a drive from Washington DC to Los Angeles CA would be approximately the same distance as driving from Sydney NSW to Perth WA. The two trips, however, would be quite different because of the great difference in environments and population. The vast majority of Australia's population resides along the East Coast of the continent on the east side of the Dividing Range, mountains which follow the coast much as the Appalachian Range does the East Coast of the U.S. All of the state capital cities are located on the coastal fringe around the continent, and Canberra, the country's capital city, is a short distance inland between Sydney and Melbourne. The vast interior of the continent is practically uninhabited and is known to most as the Outback. The population of the entire country of Australia is around 20 million, which is approximately the same as that of Metropolitan New York City. More than 20% of the country's people live in Sydney and its suburbs (somewhat over 4 million inhabitants in 1999), while another 12 million live on the remaining coastal fringe. That leaves a mere 4 million people thinly spread across the harsh interior of a country nearly the same physical size as the U.S., which is home to more than 272 million people. Thus, it is quite understandable that the language of Australia has been greatly influenced by the vast openness of rural Australia, an area filled with mysteries reaching mythical proportions, spawning such imaginary creatures as the Bunyip, a fabulous Australian monster said to inhabit swamps and lagoons. The bush in Australia is defined by The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary, 4th edition as "1a) natural vegetation; 1b) tract of land covered in this; 2) country in its natural uncultivated state; 3) rural as opposed to town or city." It is believed that the Australian "bush" originates from the Dutch word, "bosch", which in Europe means woods or forest, but in Australia it soon came to refer to all the areas away from the settled towns, or rural areas as opposed to urban settlement. Eventually it ceased to matter whether the bush had any trees or vegetation at all. From the earliest days of settlement, the interior of Australia has been known as the Outback just as Americans from earlier times referred to the wilderness as "out West." Its dictionary meaning is listed as "remote and usually uninhabited or sparsely inhabited inland areas of Australia." Its precise origin is unknown, but it is clear that outback is a very general term. Some place it beyond the equally mythical "black stump" (beyond the black stump), while others say it doesn't start until you go beyond the town of Bourke in western New South Wales (Back o' Bourke). According to Bill Wannan it is definitely "away out west in the never-never where the crows fly backwards; it's away out west o' sunset and right out back o' beyond. . . " Old timers often reinforced the mythical proportions of the Outback by inventing other words for it such as Woop-Woop, Bullabakanka, and Snake Gully. Some terms for the Outback arise from the plant life that is seen in those areas such as the mallee and the mulga, scrub trees and bushes found in great numbers in the arid interior of the continent. In the Outback there is only one certainty: that things there are pretty "crook" (bad, unpleasant). If there isn't a flood, then it's drought and bushfires conspiring to drive out any would-be settlers. The Red Centre refers to the red soil that covers the land in the Outback, while Fly country refers to the fact that flies (blow-flies are like U.S. houseflies) are present in huge numbers in the Outback. Even on the coastal fringe flies are much more prevalent than in the U.S., so much so that swatting at them is referred to as the "Aussie salute." Somewhat closer to settled land but still at the edge of "Never-never", one may refer to someone going bush when he/she goes out in the bush somewhere between civilization and the Outback. In more modern terms it often refers to someone who has simply dropped out of sight or disappeared. Backblocks were originally blocks or sections of land in a remote part of a sheep or cattle station (ranch). As these backblocks became settled, the term came to denote inland country in general. The term bush has become such an important part of Australian English that it has been incorporated into a number of other Aussie terms, too. Following is a partial list of these words with their definitions. Read and enjoy.

Bushman -- Person who is skilled and experienced with living in the bush, he is entirely at home there, is familiar with its ways, never gets lost, never starves/dies of thirst, and is usually on good terms with the aborigines who have taught him much. The swagman, on the other hand, is a tramp or vagrant who carried all his belongings on his back in a swag, though he may also be a good bushman. Bush Baptist -- Person of doubtful religious persuasion. Bush bash -- Make a track through the bush. Bush bellows -- (no longer used) Hat, which was used to fan a campfire alight. Bush carpenter -- Amateur or unqualified, rough-and-ready tradesman. Bushman's clock -- (no longer used) Kookaburra, whose raucous call is heard at daybreak and sunset. Bushed, to get -- To be lost, whether in the Outback or the city. Bushfire -- Much like a forestfire in the U.S., it can travel at great speed. This can cause considerable loss of property and life, but usually means that the infrastructure of the environment itself is preserved. Because eucalyptus trees are by far the most numerous trees in Australia and they shed their back annually, they usually survive the holocaust and rejuvenate when they next shed their protective cover. The root systems are also very resilient, which is seen by the fact that when the trees die, they remain upright and deteriorate above ground first, leaving gnarled, weather-grayed fingers reaching skyward from the arid land. Bushfire brigade -- Rural, volunteer fire-fighting organization, usually used to fight grass fires. Bush lawyer -- A man who claims legal knowledge while not having obtained any type of legal training or degree. Bushman's breakfast -- A drink of water and a good look around (and other variations). Bush medicine -- Natural remedies supplied by materials in the bush; traditional bush medicine. Bushranger -- Originally, referred to members of an exploration party, later to those who were skilled in bushcraft. The more familiar meaning eventually is "Australian outlaws who were escaped convicts whose sole possible means of support in the harsh bush was to rob from outlying settlements and homesteads." Some bushrangers took part in poddy-dodging, stealing young, unbranded cattle, called "poddies". Today the term is applied to any person who, or enterprise which, exploits or overcharges the public. Bush shanties -- The first bush dwellings. Bush telegraph or bush wireless -- Any unofficial system of conveying information, such as the spreading of rumors. It originally referred to informants who alerted bushrangers as to the movements of the police so they could avoid capture. Bush track -- Any path or track not properly formed, but roughly defined by common usage of vehicles or walkers. Bush tucker -- Sustenance provided by the bush, as when one "lives off the land." Traditional Aboriginal food. Bushwalker -- One who goes hiking or walkabout in the hill country, it often includes camping out. Bushwhacker -- A person lacking in social graces and/or naive in more sophisticated city ways (not someone who may hit you over the head in the bush as Americans might expect). If a bushwalker commits a social error in public or acts in a particularly naive manner, someone might ask him, "What do you think this is, Bush Week?" Sydney or bush -- All or nothing, as in betting. It originally referred to a gambler who was assured of a good life in the city if his gamble succeeded, while he would be relegated to returning to the bush if it failed.

Chris Townsend, Sarcoid Connection
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Last Modified September 9, 2002