a common abbreviation for Western Australia (q.v.). The word was coined to meetthe necessities of the submarine cable regulations, whichconfine messages to words containing not more than ten letters.
1896. `The Studio,' Oct., p. 151:
«The latest example is the El Dorado of Western Australia,or as she is beginning to be more generally called `Westralia,'a name originally invented by the necessity of the electriccable, which limits words to ten letters, or else chargesdouble rate.»
1896. `Nineteenth Century,' Nov., p. 711 [Title of article]:
«The Westralian Mining Boom.»