Where "Yabby" Comes From
"Yabby" comes from Wemba Wemba, one of the Aboriginal languages of southeastern Australia, where a similar word referred to the small freshwater crayfish common in local creeks, dams, and rivers.
Catching yabbies with a bit of string and a piece of meat is a rite of passage for many Australian kids, especially in rural and regional areas, and the word has stayed a fond, everyday part of Aussie vocabulary ever since.
"We caught yabbies down at the creek."
How Aussies Actually Use It
"Yabbying" is both the noun and the activity — heading out to a dam or creek to catch yabbies is simply called "going yabbying." It's a classic school holidays activity, especially inland where the ocean isn't close by.
Yabbies are also sometimes eaten, similar to a small crayfish or crawdad, though most Australians associate the word more with childhood memories than with food.
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