Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...

, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a

creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result of the arid Australian climate in which these "dead rivers" are often found, billabongs fill with water seasonally but can be dry for a greater part of the year.

Etymology

The etymology of the word ''billabong'' is disputed. The word is most likely derived from the Wiradjuri term ''bilabaŋ'', which means "a watercourse that runs only after rain". It is derived from ''bila'', meaning "river", It may have been combined with ''bong'' or ''bung'', meaning "dead". One source, however, claims that the term is of Scottish Gaelic origin. Billabongs were significant because they held water longer than parts of rivers; it was important for people to identify and name these areas.Clarke, R. "Australianisms in 'Waltzing Matilda'"
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 10 December 2003. Last accessed 23 February 2018.

References in Australian culture

In literature

* Banjo Paterson's popular song " Waltzing Matilda" is set beside a billabong. * Mary Grant Bruce wrote a series of books, known as '' The Billabong Series'', depicting the adventures of the Linton family, who live at Billabong station from around 1911 until the late 1920s.

In art

Both Aboriginal Australians and European artists use billabongs as subject matter in painting. For example, Aboriginal painter

Tjyllyungoo Tjyllyungoo is the traditional name of the landscape painter Lance Chadd, a Noongar man from Western Australia. Tjyllyungoo's paintings are internationally recognised and held in a number of collections. Born in 1954, he grew up in the south-west ...

(Lance Chad) has a watercolour entitled ''Trees at a billabong''. American avant-garde filmmaker

Will Hindle Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

produced a short film titled ''Billabong'' in 1969.

In commerce

Billabong is the name of an Australian brand of sportswear for surf, skateboard, and snowboard.

References

External links

{{commons category inline, Billabongs of Australia Australian English Lakes * Fluvial landforms