Meanings
- Australiainformalnot comparableAt or to an extremely remote place.
Mated in the Wild took the audience back o’ Bourke — to Central Australia to be exact.
1979, Eric Reade, History and Heartburn: The Saga of Australian Film, 1896-1978, page 282 more examples
Gilchrist has a head that would have passed unnoticed Back o′Bourke where they played cricket using termite mounds as stumps.
2002, Garrie Hutchinson, Gilly the Great: The Best Australian Sports Writing, 2002, page 13“We're getting Back o′ Bourke, sport, a bit of a ways from the bitumen,” Ian notes, huffing a bit.
2009, Chinle Miller, Desert Rats: Adventures in the American Outback, page 110
- AustraliainformalAn extremely remote place.
“Where ya headed mate?” “In the back o′ bourke,” said Kate, “and we'll need roo bars and a rack.”
2009, William Efford, Picaroon, page 2381 more example
There were a few Aussies on site, but most preferred to work in or around Perth. The large majority would venture no farther than the coastal resorts, classing the back o'Bourke (back of beyond) as a “no-go” area.
2007, Kevin Noble, Chris Foote Wood, Baghdad Trucker, page 93Synonyms: See: Thesaurus:remote place, back o' beyond, back of beyond, beyond the black stump, middle of nowhere, Woop Woop
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounAn extremely remote place.
Origin
From the town of Bourke in north-western New South Wales. By supposition, even further west and north than Bourke.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
back o' Bourke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20o'%20Bourke
“back o' Bourke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20o'%20Bourke. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “back o' Bourke,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20o'%20Bourke.
Source: back o' Bourke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.