Where "Brigalow" Comes From
Photo by Ethel Aardvark, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
"Brigalow" comes from Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi), an Aboriginal language of northern NSW and southern Queensland, where the tree is called barranbaa or burrii, and "brigalow" is the English name that developed from it.
Its dark, deeply furrowed bark and silvery-grey foliage dominate a vast ecological region spanning millions of hectares from northern New South Wales into central and coastal Queensland.
“They cleared a track through the thick brigalow country to reach the back paddocks.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
Gives its name to "The Brigalow Belt" â one of Australia's primary pastoral, agricultural, and biodiversity zones.
Known among farmers and drovers as tough, suckering timber that resprouts freely from the butt, roots and stems after fire damage.
ð Sources & Further Reading
- Borrowings from Aboriginal Languages â Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU
- List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin — Wikipedia
- Brigalow - Wikipedia
- Brigalow Belt - Wikipedia
Part of our Aboriginal Loanwords collection →
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