backblock means A remote tract of land in the interior; hence (in plural) sparsely populated country far from major cities and lacking conveniences common in urban areas. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why “backblock” is a great word
BACKBLOCK — [Noun] A remote or sparsely populated tract of land in the interior, far from major cities and their conveniences. From back (indicating remoteness or rear position) + block (a defined parcel of land, especially one surveyed for settlement). First recorded in use in the 1850s in the context of Australian land settlement. Unlike outback, which specifically denotes the vast, arid interior of Australia, or hinterland, which implies an economic relationship to a coastal port or city, a backblock is a more general term for any isolated inland parcel defined by its lack. It is the dusty, silent paddock at the end of a long, unsealed road; the rusting windmill over a solitary dam; and the single light from a homestead window swallowed by the immense, star-crowded dark—a testament not to grand emptiness, but to the quiet negotiation of a life pared down to its essentials.
Etymology
From back + block.
noun
- A remote tract of land in the interior; hence (in plural) sparsely populated country far from major cities and lacking conveniences common in urban areas.“Near-synonyms: upcountry, interior, hinterland”
- The most distally outlying suburb among a set of suburbs.
- Land behind which fronts on water; land without a permanent watercourse.