Editing Outback (section)

==Terminology==
The term "outback" derives from the adverbial phrase referring to the back yard of a house{{FACT|date=October 2024}}, and came to be used [[meiosis (figure of speech)|meiotically]] in the late 1800s to describe the vast sparsely settled regions of Australia behind the cities and towns. The earliest known use of the term in this context in print was in 1869, when the writer clearly meant the area west of [[Wagga Wagga, New South Wales|Wagga Wagga]], [[New South Wales]].<ref name="Coupe">Coupe, Sheena (ed.), Frontier Country, Vol. 1, Weldon Russell Publishing, Willoughby, 1989, {{ISBN|1-875202-01-3}}</ref> Over time, the adverbial use of the phrase was replaced with the present day noun form.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/7-bonzer-australian-words|accessdate=20 November 2021|publisher=Merriam-Webster|title=7 Bonzer Aussie Words|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120073633/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/7-bonzer-australian-words|url-status=live}}</ref>

It is colloquially said that "the outback" is located "beyond the [[Black Stump]]". The location of the black stump may be some hypothetical location or may vary depending on local custom and folklore. It has been suggested that the term comes from the Black Stump Wine Saloon that once stood about {{convert|10|km}} out of [[Coolah, New South Wales]] on the Gunnedah Road. It is claimed that the saloon, named after the nearby Black Stump Run and Black Stump Creek, was an important staging post for traffic to north-west New South Wales and it became a marker by which people gauged their journeys.<ref name="SMHOutback2005">{{cite news | last = Lewis | first = Daniel | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/outback/outer-limits/2005/05/16/1116095894531.html | title = Outer limits | work = The Age | date = 2005-05-17 | access-date = 2007-01-30 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080426230617/http://www.theage.com.au/news/outback/outer-limits/2005/05/16/1116095894531.html | archive-date = 26 April 2008 }}</ref>

"The [[Never Never (Australian outback)|Never-Never]]" is a term referring to remoter parts of the Outback. The Outback can also be referred to as "back of beyond" or "back o' [[Bourke, New South Wales|Bourke]]", although these terms are more frequently used when referring to something a long way from anywhere, or a long way away. The well-watered north of the continent is often called the "[[Top End]]" and the arid interior "The Red Centre", owing to its vast amounts of red soil and sparse greenery amongst its landscape.