Austral English Part 106

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 471:

"E. leucoxylon, F. v. M. The `blue or white gum' of South Australia and Victoria is a gum-tree with smooth bark and light-coloured wood (hence the specific name). The flowers and fruit of E. leucoxylon are very similar to those of E. sideroxylon, and in this way two trees have been placed under one name which are really quite distinct. Baron Mueller points out that there are two well-marked varieties of E. leucoxylon in Victoria. That known as `white-gum'

has the greater portion of the stem pale and smooth through the outer layers of the bark falling off. The variety known chiefly as the `Victorian Ironbark,' retains the whole bark on the stem, thus becoming deeply fissured and furrowed, and very hard and dark coloured."

Yellow Gum--

1848. T. L. Mitchell, `Tropical Australia,' p. 107:

"We this day passed a small group of trees of the yellow gum, a species of eucalyptus growing only on the poor sandy soil near Botany Bay, and other parts of the sea-coast near Sydney."

York Gum--

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. II. c. iv.

p. 132:

"York gum ... abundant in York on good soil."

Gum- (In Composition). See Gum.

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 134:

"I said to myself in the gum-shadowed glen."

1868. W. L. Carleton, `Australian Nights,' p. 1:

"To see the gum-log flaming bright Its welcome beacon through the night."

1890. `The Argus,' August 2, p. 4, col. 3:

"Make a bit of a shelter also. You can always do it with easily-got gum-boughs."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvii. p. 201:

"The edge of the long, black, gum-shrouded lagoon."

Gummy, n. name given to a shark of Victorian and Tasmanian waters, Mustelus antarcticus, Gunth., and called Hound (q.v.) in New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. The word Gummy is said to come from the small numerous teeth, arranged like a pavement, so different from the sharp erect teeth of most other sharks. The word Hound is the Old World name for all the species of the genus Mustelus. This fish, says Hutton, is much eaten by the Maoris.

Gum-sucker, n. slang for Victorian-born, not now much used; but it is not always limited to Victorians.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,'

vol. i. p. 201:

"The acacias are the common wattles of this country; from their trunks and branches clear transparent beads of the purest Arabian gum are seen suspended in the dry spring weather, which our young currency bantlings eagerly search after and regale themselves with."

[The practice of `gum-sucking' is here noticed, though the word does not occur.]

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 24:

"If he had not been too 'cute to be bitten twice by the over-'cute `gumsuckers,' as the native Victorians are called."

1890. `Quiz `(Adelaide), Dec. 26:

"Quiz will take good care that the innocent Australians are not fooled without a warning. Really L. and his accomplices must look upon gumsuckers as being pretty soft."

Gunyah, n. aboriginal name for a black-fellow's hut, roughly constructed of boughs and bark; applied also to other forms of shelter. The spelling varies greatly: in Col. Mundy's book (1855) there are no fewer than four forms.

See Humpy and Gibber. What Leichhardt saw (see quotation 1847) was very remarkable.

1798. D. Collins, `Account of English Colony in New South Wales,' in an aboriginal vocabulary of Port Jackson, p. 610:

"Go-nie--a hut."

1830. R.Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 70:

"One of their gunyers (bark huts)."

Ibid. p. 171:

"A native encampment, consisting of eight or ten `gunyers.'

This is the native term for small huts, which are supported by three forked sticks (about three feet long) brought together at the top in a triangular form: the two sides towards the wind are covered by long sheets of bark, the third is always left open to the wind."

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. I. c. ii. p. 78:

"We observed a fresh-made gunneah (or native hut)."

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' c. ii. p. 35:

"Three huts, or gunyahs, consisted of a few green boughs, which had just been put up for shelter from the rain then falling."

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 10:

"Their only habitation ... is formed by two sheets of bark stripped from the nearest tree, at the first appearance of a storm, and joined together at an angle of 45 degrees. This, which they call a gunnya, is cut up for firewood when the storm has passed."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 238:

"Behind appears a large piece of wood hooded like a `gunnya'

or `umpee.'"

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 290:

"We saw a very interesting camping place of the natives, containing several two-storied gunyas."

1852. `Settlers and Convicts; or, Recollections of Sixteen Years' Labour in the Australian Backwoods,' p. 211:

"I coincided in his opinion that it would be best for us to camp for the night in one of the ghibber-gunyahs. These are the hollows under overhanging rocks."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' ed. 1855, p. 164:

"A sloping sheet of bark turned from the wind--in bush lingo, a break-weather--or in guneeahs of boughs thatched with grass."