Dictionary

OUTBACK AUSTRALIA DICTIONARY
Taking a job in the bush means you will be learning the lingo.  

What words or phrases have you heard that have confused you?

Updated: 25 November 2013

Town 
The local town which could have anywhere between 2 and 20,000 people. Usually it is the nearest shopping supermarket but is not always the closest point.

The Order

Groceries that are needed at the station.  Can involve several hours and several trollies.

Station or property
Refers to the place you live

Smoko

Morning or afternoon break... in the bush it often involves yummy baked goods and tea or coffee. It rarely means smoking a cigarette.

Dinner 

Means lunch sometimes not tea but this is flexible and can change depending on area and state.

Next door or just down the road

Could be 10 metres or 100km away

Tank and Dam

In different areas of Australia these change meaning but from where I come from a large man made hole in the ground that holds water at a low point in the paddock is a DAM.  A TANK or a cement, poly or steel container that holds water.

Turkey's Nest 
A dirt tank used to hold water to run into a trough to water livestock

Poly
Poly is a plastic type of tubing that water runs through from one tank to another.

Huts or Quarters

Where workers stay when working on a property.

Killer

Livestock for the purpose of eating on the station.  Often held in a paddock with the best feed.

Cocky
Someone who grows crops but different states have different rules for this word.

Swag
A canvas tarp with a mattress in the middle used as a bed when camping.  It is then rolled up to travel or store.

Drafting
Sorting animals into different groups

Mustering
Gathering livestock into the yards

Weaners
Livestock between in their teenage years.  The are ready to be taken from their mothers.  Weaners need to be educated about becoming an adult.

Poddy
Livestock which has been orphaned 

Branding
Marking the calves with identifying marks and castrating the male calves

Cattle 

What a group of cows, calves, steers, heifers and bulls are referred to as.

Calf 
Baby cow

Steers

Male cattle that have 

Cows

Female cattle

Heifers

Young female cows

Rams
Male sheep sheep

Ewes
Female adult sheep

Lambs
Baby sheep

Wethers
Male adult sheep that have been castrated

Lambmarking
Like branding but the sheep version... earmarking lambs with identifying marks and castrating male lambs

Shearing
Take the wool off sheep 

Crutching
Taking the wool around the backside off the sheep.  It happens between shearing from one year to the next.