Billabong (lake) facts for kids

Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu National Park

For other meanings, see Billabong

Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving a dead end. Some people say there is a Scottish Gaelic origin, but the word is most likely from the Wiradjuri term bilabaŋ.

Billabongs appear often in Australian literature. One of the most famous is in the opening line of the famous folk song "Waltzing Matilda".