597:
29:
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45:
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281:(a region of outback Australia whose name derives from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross it) are alternatively termed waterholes, and described as "enlarged channel segments along the main course of the river... typically occur at the confluence of two smaller channels".
306:
holding only residual water that has not yet drained or evaporated. As a result of the arid climate of many parts of
Australia, these "dead rivers" often fill with water seasonally but can be dry for a greater part of the year.
357:
living in the billabongs can take up a lot of water before it burrows into the earth in the dry season, and
Aboriginal peoples in desert environments can locate the frogs underground by various means.
379:
Billabongs are significant because they do not have outflow and can hold water longer than sections of rivers especially during drier season, thus serving important ecological functions as
291:
Another source describes a billabong as "a large body of water", which may be formed from a section of cut-off river, but may also be formed from water left behind after a large flood.
840:'Bill' = 'bile' = 'lip or mouth' and 'abong' is from 'abhainn' = 'river' with a parasitic 'G' added. A billabong probably has a mouth shape of sorts being at a bend in a river.
971:
285:
270:
defines the word as: "1. (a) a blind channel leading out from a river; (b) a usually dry streambed that is filled seasonally", or 2. "a backwater forming a stagnant pool" The
963:
288:, in its Queensland Waterhole Classification Scheme, describes waterholes as "referred to by a range of different names (i.e. billabongs, lagoons and waterbodies)".
219:
is situated about half-a-mile inland, over a 'billy-bong' (the native name for a small creek or backwater)". It is not recorded in the first edition of the
274:
describes it as "In
Australia, a low area of ground that was part of a river in the past and that only fills up with water from the river during a flood".
811:
798:
150:, which "describes a pond or pool of water that is left behind when a river alters course or after floodwaters recede". According to the
1215:
852:
1145:
788:
321:
177:
702:
A. P. Elkin (June 1967). "Review of
Australian English: An Historical Study of the Vocabulary, 1788-1898 by W. S. Ramson".
188:
meaning "dead" is not a
Wiradjuri word, but may have been picked up or assumed from the word "bung" which was originally a
526:, depicting the adventures of the Linton family, who live at Billabong station from around 1911 until the late 1920s.
371:
A billabong retains water longer than the original watercourse and may be the only accessible water in a large area.
98:
215:
name of the river as "Billibang". It is first recorded in its later, more general sense, by J. Allen in 1853: "This
329:
773:
348:
792:
123:
1071:
657:
204:
1240:
1230:
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20:
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for
European settlers to identify, and many billabongs were given names relating to the local areas.
361:
221:
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1001:
688:
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665:
908:
967:
392:
212:
938:
711:
692:. South Yarra: The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd., 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 19 January 2012.
568:
466:
460:
444:
271:
152:
33:
225:(prepared 1882–1888), published before the later contributions of the Australian academic
8:
939:"Billabongs (waterholes), unique geomorphology and hydrology in action in arid Australia"
399:
344:
226:
172:, meaning "dead". The attribution of this last part of the word was contested in 2004 by
882:
860:
723:
719:
403:
388:
354:
351:
of the
Northern Territory continue to manage the billabongs' ecology in their Country.
200:
143:
56:
49:
571:
is the name of an
Australian brand of sportswear for surf, skateboard, and snowboard.
1141:
769:
173:
1161:
1118:
1100:
1075:
859:. Wurdeja, Ji-malawa and Yilan Aboriginal Communities. 21 June 2006. Archived from
741:
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517:
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499:
454:
189:
110:, caused by a change in course by a river channel; but other types of small lakes,
66:
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278:
267:
237:
147:
127:
302:, leaving the former channel deprived of further inflow and becoming a dead-end
1235:
507:
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use billabongs as subject matter in painting. For example, Aboriginal painter
28:
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625:
427:
411:
380:
115:
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534:
450:
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in the
Northern Territory, in which there are many permanent billabongs.
325:
1079:
727:
340:, and they have many intricate ways of understanding how to find water.
337:
249:
107:
37:
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320:
Many billabongs are of cultural significance and social importance to
615:
119:
365:
184:"signifying a continuation in time or space". Ludowyk writes that
937:
Larsen, Joshua; Nanson, Gerald; Jones, Brian (20 November 2009).
620:
415:
384:
333:
257:
44:
1183:
118:
are also called billabongs. The term is likely a borrowing from
106:) is a small body of water, usually permanent. It is usually an
1210:
610:
295:
193:
181:
303:
240:
origin, derived from words for "lip" or "mouth" and "river".
1184:"Lifestyle & Technical Surf Clothing and Swimwear Brand"
1140:. Cambridge, England; New York: Cambridge University Press.
487:
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
328:
as well as other resources. Water is an intrinsic part of
253:
111:
90:
81:
813:
The Survey of
Scottish Gaelic in Australia and New Zealand
87:
1068:"Biological inventory of the Arafura swamp and catchment"
75:
398:
Dangers to the ecological balance of billabongs include
774:"Aussie Words: Of Billy, Bong, Bung, & 'Billybong'"
387:
for freshwater animal and plant species, including the
160:
means "a watercourse that runs only after rain", with
1040:"Roger Clarke's Australianisms in 'Waltzing Matilda'"
99:
578:
248:
Definitions vary. A billabong often defined as an
180:, whose view was that that "-bong" or "-bang" was a
84:
78:
72:
16:
Australian term for an oxbow lake or other waterhole
231:
Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words
69:
972:Department of Environment, Science and Innovation
936:
294:Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a
286:Department of Environment, Science and Innovation
236:A 2004 thesis suggests that the term could be of
1222:
207:in south-eastern New South Wales, when explorer
243:
1138:The Cambridge history of Australian literature
1117:
1099:
932:
930:
764:
762:
964:"Queensland Waterhole Classification Scheme"
164:meaning "river", and possibly combined with
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374:
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541:(Lance Chad) has a watercolour entitled
43:
27:
1057:
1025:USGS , USGS Open File Report 2008-1217.
809:
768:
489:Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me
395:are related to the changes in seasons.
264:when the river channel changes course.
1223:
1135:
1037:
1028:
637:
437:in Queensland, and other parts of the
789:Australian National Dictionary Centre
322:Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
178:Australian National Dictionary Centre
999:
410:have caused salt water to flow into
695:
485:Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
277:In a 2009 study, billabongs of the
32:A billabong along Scrubby Creek at
13:
720:10.1002/j.1834-4461.1967.tb00924.x
520:wrote a series of books, known as
414:, a large freshwater basin in the
14:
1257:
1204:
1164:. National Museum Australia. 2013
1038:Clarke, Roger (12 October 2004).
479:Once a jolly swagman camped by a
1209:
595:
581:
332:, and essential resource during
324:peoples, and used as sources of
196:widely spoken across Australia.
142:is most likely derived from the
65:
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1111:
1093:
1019:
1000:Ward, Cameron (29 April 2020).
956:
310:
901:
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793:Australian National University
734:
680:
662:Indigenous Knowledge Institute
563:
472:
199:The word is first recorded in
124:Aboriginal Australian language
1:
1072:Northern Territory Government
823:. p. 300. Archived from
631:
556:produced a short film titled
514:" is set beside a billabong.
810:Skilton, St J. (June 2004).
315:
244:Definitions and descriptions
133:
7:
853:"Rivers Continuing in Time"
710:(4). Oceania Publications,
574:
465:Yellow Water Billabong, in
421:
10:
1264:
203:in 1836, referring to the
156:(2005), the original term
21:Billabong (disambiguation)
18:
883:"Definition of BILLABONG"
459:White Lily Billabong, in
443:Corroboree Billabong, in
391:. Many of these species'
362:colonisation of Australia
252:, an isolated crescentic
229:. It appears in Morris's
222:Oxford English Dictionary
1044:Roger Clarke's Home-Page
689:The Macquarie Dictionary
449:Kings Billabong, on the
298:or river changes due to
1216:Billabongs of Australia
666:University of Melbourne
375:Ecological significance
364:, these were important
1162:"Trees at a billabong"
1136:Pierce, Peter (2009).
1002:"What is a Billabong?"
821:Université de Fribourg
531:Aboriginal Australians
491:
360:In the days since the
192:which was used in the
52:
41:
1218:at Wikimedia Commons
1123:Billabong Adventurers
968:Queensland Government
477:
47:
31:
913:Cambridge Dictionary
712:University of Sydney
543:Trees at a billabong
523:The Billabong Series
467:Kakadu National Park
461:Kakadu National Park
445:Kakadu National Park
272:Cambridge Dictionary
256:left behind after a
153:Macquarie Dictionary
19:For other uses, see
943:Vignette Collection
400:saltwater intrusion
355:Water-holding frogs
227:Edward Ellis Morris
1241:Lakes of Australia
1231:Australian English
770:Ludowyk, Frederick
404:introduced species
389:water-holding frog
201:Australian English
144:Wiradjuri language
57:Australian English
53:
50:Northern Territory
42:
1246:Fluvial landforms
1214:Media related to
1147:978-0-521-88165-4
1119:Bruce, Mary Grant
1105:A Little Bushmaid
1101:Bruce, Mary Grant
974:. 14 January 2020
915:. 7 February 2024
889:. 8 February 2024
857:Burarra Gathering
510:'s popular song "
430:– many billabongs
349:Daly River region
174:Frederick Ludowyk
34:Berrinba Wetlands
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791:: 7 – via
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772:(October 2004).
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535:European artists
518:Mary Grant Bruce
512:Waltzing Matilda
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268:Merriam-Webster
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238:Scottish Gaelic
209:Thomas Mitchell
148:New South Wales
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128:New South Wales
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686:"billabong".
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668:. 28 May 2020
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1191:. Retrieved
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1166:. Retrieved
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1113:
1104:
1095:
1083:. Retrieved
1080:10070/856657
1047:. Retrieved
1043:
1021:
1009:. Retrieved
1006:Kakadu Tours
1005:
976:. Retrieved
958:
946:. Retrieved
942:
917:. Retrieved
912:
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891:. Retrieved
886:
877:
865:. Retrieved
861:the original
856:
847:
839:
832:. Retrieved
825:the original
812:
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784:
780:
749:. Retrieved
745:
736:
707:
703:
697:
687:
682:
670:. Retrieved
661:
658:"Billabongs"
603:Lakes portal
567:
557:
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521:
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498:
492:
480:
478:
451:Murray River
435:Cooper Creek
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311:Significance
300:bank erosion
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211:records the
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146:of southern
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54:
25:
1193:13 February
1085:13 February
1049:12 February
1011:13 February
978:13 February
948:13 February
919:13 February
909:"billabong"
893:12 February
834:23 February
751:23 February
742:"billabong"
714:: 318–319.
672:12 February
564:In commerce
554:Will Hindle
550:avant-garde
539:Tjyllyungoo
473:In the arts
393:life cycles
338:dry seasons
326:fresh water
48:Billabong,
1225:Categories
1070:. Darwin:
819:(Thesis).
632:References
552:filmmaker
381:waterholes
258:river loop
250:oxbow lake
213:Aboriginal
205:Bell River
116:waterholes
108:oxbow lake
38:Queensland
1188:Billabong
616:Limnology
569:Billabong
560:in 1969.
558:Billabong
548:American
481:billabong
366:landmarks
316:To people
140:billabong
138:The word
134:Etymology
120:Wiradjuri
61:billabong
1168:10 April
867:10 April
728:40329620
575:See also
455:Victoria
422:Examples
385:habitats
233:(1898).
781:Ozwords
704:Oceania
621:Meander
416:Top End
345:Ngan'gi
334:drought
330:Country
262:cut off
217:station
176:of the
158:bilabaŋ
103:-ə-bong
1144:
726:
611:Guelta
433:Along
194:pidgin
190:Yagara
182:suffix
40:, 2014
1236:Lakes
828:(PDF)
817:(PDF)
797:Also
787:(2).
777:(PDF)
724:JSTOR
529:Both
304:gully
296:creek
122:, an
114:, or
112:ponds
1195:2024
1170:2013
1142:ISBN
1087:2024
1051:2024
1013:2024
980:2024
950:2024
921:2024
895:2024
869:2013
836:2018
799:here
753:2018
674:2024
533:and
402:and
383:and
343:The
254:pond
186:bong
170:bung
166:bong
162:bila
59:, a
1076:hdl
716:doi
453:in
336:or
260:is
168:or
126:of
101:BIL
55:In
1227::
1186:.
1121:.
1103:.
1074:.
1059:^
1042:.
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1004:.
988:^
970:.
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718::
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91:ŋ
88:ɒ
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70:ˈ
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