Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) a business man who owns land in the outback but rarely if ever visits.

1912

Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Sept. 18/3: Touching this bike-in-war controversy, it is borne in on me that ‘Machete’ is but a carpet bushman, or George-street backblocker, or something similar. Had he had personal traffic with the remoteness of this vast land, he would have met plenty of men who bestride or push bikes, loaded with swag, billy, water-bag and tucker, over all sorts of country [...] and think nothing of it.