Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. Aus.) a great deal, an abundance; usu. as whips of.

1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 29 Mar. 5/2: There is ‘whips’ of room over there.
1904		L.M. Palmer-Archer Bush Honeymoon 286: He’s got whips of money on him too.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Sept. 10/4: In those days, sir, people ate plenty of potatoes and whips of oatmeal, and things of that sort of a kind; but now nothing will do your working man but r-ump steak, ha-am and aigs, and all those things that lead to dissatisfaction with natural conditions.
1916		‘Anzac’ On the Anzac Trail 115: Distance from Lemnos about 45 miles, I hear, so will be there in whips of time.
1918		Aussie (France) VII Sept. 7/2: Don’t youse blokes reckon a cove’s dilly to splice one of them mademoiselles when there’s whips of Aussie tarts like these?
1918		K.F. Purdon Dinny on the Doorstep 4: Och, God help us, the money’s gone! [...] And I’d have had whips, with what the Doctor is after giving me, God bless him!
1948		R. Finlayson Tidal Creek n.p.: Got whips of land.
1952		B. MacMahon Children of the Rainbow 161: ‘Her breedin’ right an’ left,’ I said., ‘for four generations back. The whips of brains her cousins had will be mentioned.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 122/2: whips plenty of.
1997		Share Slanguage.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].