an effluent from a river,returning to it, or often ending in the sand, in some casesrunning only in flood time.
In the Wiradhuri dialect of the centre of New South Wales, Eastcoast, billa means a river and bung dead. See Bung. Billa is also a river in some Queenslanddialects, and thus forms part of the name of the riverBelyando. In the Moreton Bay dialect it occurs in the form pill , and in the sense of `tidal creek.' In the`Western Australian Almanack' for 1842, quoted in J. Fraser's`Australian Language,' 1892, Appendix, p. 50, Bilo isgiven for River.
Billabong is often regarded as a synonym for Anabranch (q.v.); but there is a distinction. From theoriginal idea, the Anabranch implies rejoining theriver; whilst the Billabong implies continued separationfrom it; though what are called Billabongs often dorejoin.
1862. W. Landsborough, `Exploration of Australia,' p. 30:
«A dried-up tributary of the Gregory, which I named the Macadam.»
[Footnote]: «In the south, such a creek as the Macadam istermed a billy-bonn [sic], from the circumstance of thewater carrier returning from it with his pitcher ( billy)empty ( bong, literally dead).»
1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia, vol. i. p. 298:
«What the Major calls, after the learned nomenclature ofColonel Jackson, in the `Journal of the Geographical Society,'anabranches, but which the natives call billibongs, channelscoming out of a stream and returning into it again.»
1880. P. J. Holdsworth, `Station Hunting on the Warrego:'
«In yon great range may huddle billabongs.»
1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 25:
«What a number of swallows skim about the `billabongs' alongthe rivers in this semi-tropical region.»
1893. `The Argus,' April 8, p. 4, col. 1:
«Let's make a start at once, d'ye hear; I want to get over tothe billabong by sunrise.»