gilgai

Gilgai is an Australian word which describes a terrain of low relief on a plain of heavy clay soil, characterised by the presence of hollows, rims, and mounds, as formed by alternating periods of expansion during wet weather and contraction (with deep cracking) during hot, dry weather. This type of terrain is described as gilgaed. A single hole is known as a gilgai, or gilgai hole. Such holes are also known as crab-holes, dead-men's graves, or melon holes. The word is a borrowing from Wiradhuri (an Aboriginal language once spoken over a vast area from southern New South Wales to northern Victoria) and Kamilaroi (an Aboriginal language spoken over a vast area of east-central New South Wales and extending into southern Queensland) gilgaay 'waterhole'.