walkabout

Walkabout is a term used in the context of Australia’s traditional owners – Kooris, Anangu, Bama, Murri, Nunga, Nyoongar, Palwah, Wangai and Yolngu amongst other names and identities. 

It is generally understood to mean a form of spiritual quest or initiation involving time spent living in the bush. The spiritual aspect was tied to traditional “songlines”, I believe. For more, see https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walkabout&oldid=721815503. 

In the context of whites, it was often a somewhat derogatory term used to describe someone disappearing for reasons that the whites didn’t know – possibly to attend a corroboree or ritual. Fortunately, most people have evolved beyond that level of disparagement, although some people do still use it amongst themselves as a light hearted term, and I am very much aware that I and many other whites have a form of wanderlust which is basically the same thing.