"Where'd I put me bathers?"
Where "Bathers" Comes From
Comes straight from the older sense of "bathing costume," the formal Victorian-era term for what you wore to go bathing (swimming) in public.
While most of the English-speaking world moved on to "swimsuit" or "bathing suit," southern Australian states — particularly Victoria and South Australia — kept the shortened "bathers" as the everyday word.
How Aussies Actually Use It
A regional marker as much as a slang word — hearing someone say "bathers" instead of "cossie" or "swimmers" is often a giveaway they're from Victoria or SA.
It's used exactly like "swimsuit" would be elsewhere: "where'd I put me bathers?" before a trip to the pool or beach.
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