Australian work boots (or generically elastic-sided boots) are a unique style of work shoe, typically constructed with a leather upper bound together with elastic sides and pull tabs on the front and back of the boot. The shoe lacks a tongue, and laces, and sometimes contains a steel toe cap for occupational health and safety reasons. When the shoe contains a steel cap they are often known as "safety boots" or "steel toe boots". The boots generally lack an inner lining. The sole is generally polyurethane and the leather uppers are treated to be resistant to hot water, fats and mild alkaline and acid solutions. Modern leather-making tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. ... There are separate articles about elasticity in economics, and about British rubber bands. ... Shoelaces are thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent the shoe from slipping off by accident. ... Occupational safety and health is the discipline concerned with preserving and protecting human and facility resources in the workplace. ... A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links. ...

Elastic sided boots (Blundstone brand)

The elasticated side design allows the wearer to easily slip their boots on and off without the hassle of laces, but with the firm fit of lace-up boots. There are several Australian companies manufacturing boots in this classic style today. Some of the more popular brands are Blundstone (http://www.blundstone.com.au) (perhaps the original dating back to 1870), Rossi (http://www.rossiboots.com.au) and R.M. Williams (http://www.rmwilliams.com.au). In Australian English, the manufacturer's brand name is often associated generically with this style of boot, leading to the names Blundstones or Blunnies, RMs or Redbacks. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 733 KB)Elastic sided boots (Blundstone brand) File links The following pages link to this file: Australian work boots User:AYArktos/images Categories: User-created public domain images ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 733 KB)Elastic sided boots (Blundstone brand) File links The following pages link to this file: Australian work boots User:AYArktos/images Categories: User-created public domain images ... Australian English is the form of the English language used in Australia. ...

The shoes are typically worn as safety boots in occupationally hazardous environments, as ordinary work boots for people whose work is occasionally hazardous and who need to enter hazardous sites, as formal dress boots, as riding boots, or for particular aesthetic purposes. In the last category, the Novocastrian dance ensemble Tap Dogs uses modified work boots as tap shoes. Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is an industrial port city 160km north of Sydney, on the mouth of the Hunter River. ...