Author: Banjo Paterson (Andrew Barton)

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The sun strikes down with a blinding glare;
The skies are blue and the plains are wide,
The saltbush plains that are burnt and bare
By Walgett out on the Barwon side,
The Barwon River that wanders down
In a leisurely manner by Walgett Town.

There came a stranger, a "Cockatoo",
The word means farmer, as all men know,
Who dwell in the land where the kangaroo
Barks loud at dawn, and the white-eyed crow
Uplifts his song on the stock-yard fence
As he watches the lambkins passing hence.

The sunburnt stranger was gaunt and brown,
But it soon appeared that he meant to flout
The iron law of the country town,
Which is, that the stranger has got to shout:
"If he will not shout we must take him down,"
Remarked the yokels of Walgett Town.

They baited a trap with a crafty bait,
With a crafty bait, for they held discourse
Concerning a new chum who there of late
Had bought such a thoroughly lazy horse;
They would wager that no one could ride him down
The length of the city of Walgett Town.

The stranger was born on a horse's hide;
So he took the wagers, and made them good
With his hard-earned cash, but his hopes they died,
For the horse was a clothes-horse, made of wood!,
'Twas a well-known horse that had taken down
Full many a stranger in Walgett Town.

The stranger smiled with a sickly smile,
'Tis a sickly smile that the loser grins,
And he said he had travelled for quite a while
A-trying to sell some marsupial skins.
"And I thought that perhaps, as you've took me down,
You would buy them from me, in Walgett Town!"

He said that his home was at Wingalee,
At Wingalee, where he had for sale
Some fifty skins and would guarantee
They were full-sized skins, with the ears and tail
Complete; and he sold them for money down
To a venturesome buyer in Walgett Town.

Then he smiled a smile as he pouched the pelf,
"I'm glad that I'm quit of them, win or lose:
You can fetch them in when it suits yourself,
And you'll find the skins, on the kangaroos!"
Then he left, and the silence settled down
Like a tangible thing upon Walgett Town.

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Type of Poem: Narrative Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem narrates a story set in Walgett Town, nodding to themes of trickery, rural life, and the survival spirit. The stranger, or the "Cockatoo," represents the outsider, the unsuspecting individual who is initially conned by the savvy locals. However, he turns out to be not so unsuspecting, utilizing his wit to outsmart his exploiters. The poet employs a humorous tone to tell this tale of wits and cunning, thereby making the poem not only an exploration of rural life and its peculiarities but also an amusing anecdote of human nature.

The structure of the poem is consistent, adhering to a regular rhyme scheme which enhances the narrative flow. The poet employs vivid imagery, painting a picture of the Australian outback with descriptions of "the saltbush plains that are burnt and bare" and the unique fauna. The use of local terminology like "Cockatoo", "kangaroo", and "white-eyed crow" adds authenticity to the setting, making the reader feel more immersed in the world of Walgett Town. The twist at the end, where the stranger sells the townsfolk kangaroo skins and tells them they can find them on the kangaroos themselves, is a clever use of irony. This unexpected turn in the narrative underscores the poem's central theme of cunning and survival, leaving the reader with a smile and a reminder that the underdog can sometimes have the upper hand.