wallabee-track
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia is "on the road" looking for employment, he is said to be on the WALLABEE-TRACK.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “wallabee-track” mean?
Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia is "on the road" looking for employment, he is said to be on the WALLABEE-TRACK.
Is “wallabee-track” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.