An Aussie Billabong #1
by Blair Stuart
Title
An Aussie Billabong #1
Artist
Blair Stuart
Medium
Photograph - Digital Images
Description
Etymology of the word "billabong" is disputed. The word is most likely derived from the indigenous Wiradjuri term bilabaŋ, which means "a watercourse that runs only after rain" and is derived from "bila", meaning "river",and possibly "bong" or "bung", meaning "dead". One source claims a Scottish Gaelic origin of the term.[
As the lake kept water longer than parts of the river, it was important to the people to name these areas.
In literature
Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me
Banjo Paterson, Waltzing Matilda
Billabongs are referred to relatively often in Australian literature; Banjo Paterson's famous folk song "Waltzing Matilda" takes place beside a billabong.
Mary Grant Bruce wrote a series of books known as the Billabong series, which focus on the adventures of the Linton family on Billabong station from about 1911, through World War 1,to the late 1920s.
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Uploaded
June 18th, 2012
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