You can talk of tropic sunrise,

Waving palms and all of that,

Or the miracle of morning

Mists above the river Platte.

Not for me those far-off places

For I’d far, far rather see

That old Mallee moon a-shining

Through a eucalyptus tree.

Some folk rave of Taiwan temples

And the sands of Suva Bay,

Or a Moslem mosque by moonlight

In some country far away.

Give me tree-lined tracks at sunset

And the sound of rustling wheat,

Plus the peaceful, plodding patter

Of my horses homebound feet.

Venezuela, Valparaiso,

Vera Cruz and Everest –

Patagonia, Puerto Rico,

All are lauded as the best.

But I’ll settle for the magic

Of a magpie’s song at dawn

While I watch the furrows turning

in the soil where I was born.

There are those who sing the praises

of the sands at Waikiki,

Others claim the beach at Bali

Is the only place to be.

Well, I’ve done me share of tripping

And I’d swap the bloomin’ lot

For a wallow in our house dam

When the weather’s good and hot!

Madagascar, Magdalada,

Mandalay and Mozambique –

Where unsettled souls go striving

For the happiness they seek.

Yet at hand’s a kindly country

Where the mopokes call at night

And devoted sheep dogs greet you

At the morning’s early light.

Saunter slowly through the scrublands

With no special aim in view

While you watch the wildlife wonders

In their rural rendezvous.

Here the bush birds build their bowers

And, on aimless afternoons,

You can linger there and listen

As they trill their tranquil tunes.

Samarkand and San Marino

Have attractions I’ll agree,

But I’m blowed if they can better

Billabongs and billy tea!

Se your sights on Surakarta,

Take that trip to Trinidad –

Old frequented lines I’ll follow

Where I lingered as a lad…

Source:

 Haynes, J. (2009 ) Big Book of Verse for Aussie Kids” Crows Nest NSW: Allen and Unwin.