Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) a temporary inmate of a old people’s home, staying a short period to relieve their carer.

1993

Aus. Word Map 🌐 backpacker. elderly person occupying a room in an aged care hostel on a respite-care basis: Betty went into a temporarily unoccupied room as a backpacker, but stayed a month.

2. (US black) a fan of rap music [‘Originally a coined slang term from the 1980s for a graffiti artist that always kept a backpack on containing his finite music collection and more importantly his rattle cans, markers, and spray tips’ Urban Dict. 2007].

1999		7L & Esoteric ‘Bound to Slay’ 🎵 You calling me a backpacker, that’s preposterous.
2008		Immortal Technique ‘Reverse Pimpology’ 🎵 Yeah, I’m not a crack rapper, I’m not a backpacker.