Words & TermsWork, bush and rural life
on the wallaby
Travelling about, especially on foot in search of work; shortened from on the wallaby track.
In a sentence
In this historical or contextual use, “on the wallaby” means travelling about, especially on foot in search of work; shortened from on the wallaby track.
Where it came from
Historical Australian sources document the idiom from the nineteenth century, closely associated with itinerant workers and swagmen.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established