Australian Bush Poetry or Verse is defined by the Australian Bush Poets Association as "poetry having good rhyme and meter, written about Australia, Australians and the Australian way of life."
Rhyming verse has been written since settlement of Australia. Though our nations most famous poets are; A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson, Henry Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar and Will Ogilvie, the combined total of their poems has been has been exceeded by rhyming poems written during the past 50 years by ordinary, everyday Australians.
The Aussie language is like our nation, colourful. Often flavoured with words that cause some overseas readers to reach the conclusion, "Australians do not speak English!"
Bush Verse and Poetry tells of Australian life in the bush and also in towns and cities. It is making a strong resurgence in popularity throughout Australia. Many competitions for both written and the performance of poems now exist for adults and children.
We encourage you to not only read bush poetry yourself, but also read it to your children and grandchildren as well. They are our future poets.