bush poet

Bush poets were Australian poets who wrote about life in the Australian bush during the colonial era. The genre came into its own with the founding of The Bulletin in 1880, which fostered Australian culture and promoted the bush as a source of national ideals. Bush poets associated with the publication, such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, used characteristically colloquial and colourful language, and their underlying thematic concern was the emergence and development of the Australian identity.