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rivers is found on the Gulf-Coast between the Nassau and Staater rivers and in the far western areas. At every chief encampment, nay, at every recognised camping-ground, there is a name for every land-mark, or whatever else can possibly be used as such in the vicinity; each Sandhill, water-hole, river-bend, stony ridge, gully, pathway, bigger or peculiarly shaped tree, indeed anything and everything out of the ordinary has a special name applied to it. At Roxburgh downs I have seen a fairly sized water-hole, the different edges 8 of which were described under at least seven different names. Upon the occasion of my once asking a native why every little nook and cranny in the neighbourhood of his camp had a special name, he turned the tables on me by enquiring why all the streets of a township were differently termed. "Street along town all same bush along my country"! In the far western districts and other areas comparatively subject to drought, the importance of water both in the neighbourhood of camp and along the different lines of travel will explain in some measure how it happens that except in the case of some otherwise strongly marked physical peculiarity, e.g. a mountain, most of the geographical location is indicated by words denoting creeks, rivers, water-holes, lakes or springs. And it thus comes to pass that many a name of a had station, township, etc of the white settlers which has been built on a site selected for exactly similar reasons, has its aboriginal equivalent in the name of its adjacent water-hole, site.
sect 226 Etharf Studies etc 1897