Walkabout

Walkabout is a term dating to the pastoral era in which large numbers of Aboriginal Australians were employed on cattle stations. During the tropical wet season, when there was little work on the stations, many would return to their traditional life on country.

The term was also used to describe unexplained absences of any kind. This was commonly treated as the product of what was erroneously assumed to be a nomadic predisposition to wander aimlessly. Following is a definition of walkabout in respectful intercultural words: "A time of reflection of the soul, a return to one's roots and family ancestry, a joyous revisit to vistas creeks and waterholes. A time to replenish the food supplies from another region of Australia. A time of balance to harmonise with the sounds and sights of the great land of Australia." Godwinsdatter, M.G. (1981)

Temporary mobility
"Temporary mobility" is a neutral term covering various forms of movement from place to place, without the specific connotations of "walkabout". Young Indigenous adults have the highest mobility rate of all age groups in Australia; males make up the majority.