Words & TermsWork, bush and rural life
matilda
A swag or blanket-wrapped bundle carried by an itinerant bush worker.
In a sentence
The old song follows a traveller carrying his matilda down the track.
Where it came from
Matilda became a bush name for a swag or a traveller’s bundle in the 1880s. It is an unexplained transfer from the personal name and was made famous by Waltzing Matilda.
- First recorded
- 1880s
- Initial era
- 1850–1899
- Where used
- Australia-wide