Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) to steal potatoes from the fields by removing them from the soil and carefully replacing the plant on which they grow; thus bandicooter n.

1896		Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Dec. 26/4: I must ‘bandicoot’ spuds from the ‘cockies’ —Or, go on the track.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Aug. 26/1: The Tasmanian bandicoot is a friendly little chap [...] but his burrowings have given him an undeserved reputation for bandycooting potatoes.
1921		(con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 170: Farmer and Yacob bandicooted an army pack of spuds and turnips.
1926		Illus. Tasmanian Mail (Hobart) 7 Apr. 6/2: By digging amongst potatoes and rooting out the tubers they have given to the language a new verb, ‘to bandicoot’ [AND].
1930, 1942, 1978, 1980		in AND.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.