Walkabout is the English term commonly used for an Aboriginal Australian young person’s traditional journey into the outback as a rite of passage.
In popular descriptions, a walkabout involves leaving home for an extended period and traveling through Country, developing practical knowledge and independence. The journey has often been associated with adolescence and the acquisition of adult responsibilities. The term became widely used in Australian English and later entered international popular culture.
However, “walkabout” is not a single, uniform ceremony shared by all Aboriginal Australian peoples. Aboriginal nations have distinct languages, laws, ceremonies, and relationships with Country. The English term can therefore oversimplify complex local traditions and is sometimes criticized for presenting diverse cultures as one practice.
Walkabout should not be confused with Dreamtime, which refers to foundational ancestral narratives and realities, or a corroboree, a broad English term for certain Aboriginal gatherings involving ceremony, song, and dance.