Cooee! is a shout originated in Australia to attract attention, find missing people, or indicate one's own location. When done correctly—loudly and shrilly—a call of "cooee" can carry over a considerable distance. The distance one's cooee call travels can be a matter of competitive pride. It is also known as a call of help, distinct amongst the natural sounds of the bush.
Australia World War I recruitment poster depicts an Australian soldier in the Dardanelles using the "Coo-ee" to summon reinforcements from Australia, 1915
Australian English is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and de facto national language; while Australia has no official language, English is the first language of the majority of the population, and has been entrenched as the de facto national language since British settlement, being the only language spoken in the home for 72% of Australians. It is also the main language used in compulsory education, as well as federal, state and territorial legislatures and courts.
The First Fleet, which brought the English language to Australia
The Australian gold rushes saw many external influences on the language
Bush poets such as Banjo Paterson captured the Australian vocabulary of the 19th century in their bush ballads