Gary T.

Matilda is not a hiking staff. It is the blanket roll that includes all the possessions of the swagman ( hobo / tramp ), pot, pan, cup, spare clothes etc and is well explained in Catspaw's link above - click here for a great site. And others have correctly identified waltzing as hiking or roaming about. Kind of like hiking around with a surrogate wife.

When I joined the Royal Aust. Navy in '63 part of our kit was a little cloth roll-up, a bit smaller than a corn-cob, in wich were cottons, needles, buttons etc and it's official name was your - housewife. With women on board ships now this quaint term has probably fallen overboard.

JG / F.M.E.