25/01/2026
Here is a poem I'm sharing for Australia 🇦🇺 Day ~ which I share each year on this special day that means so much to me, my family, I feel so incredibly blessed to be a fifth generation convict Australian, calling Australia my home. This poem beautifully epitomises what it means to be an Aussie.
SPIRIT
There’s a beat beneath the Olgas,
Out there near Uluru,
Spreading south right to the Bite
And north to Kakadu.
Radiating to the shoreline
There’s a pulse from east to west
That defies true definition,
This strange feeling in your chest.
It’s the Spirit of The Dreamtime,
It’s the sweat of pioneers,
It’s the Rainbow Serpent’s teachings
Of more than 40,000 years.
It’s the clash of many cultures,
The recipe’s unique,
Reflected in our actions,
What we do and how we speak.
It’s the scent of eucalyptus,
It’s lamb chops on the barbie,
It’s ANZAC Day and two-up
Down the pub with Uncle Harvey.
It’s a nice fresh batch of lamingtons,
Whatever takes your fancy,
The everlasting stars
That lit up the night for Clancy.
It’s the right to have opinions,
All open for debate,
It’s the foreign-looking kid
Asking “Owyagoin’ Mate?”.
It’s the footy, it’s the cricket,
It’s every type of sport,
On the oval, in the water
Or the backyard tennis court.
It’s the Royal Flying Doctor,
It’s names like Cobb & Co,
A pie with sauce, an ice-cold b**r,
The farm, the surf, the snow.
It’s billy tea and damper
By a fire of gidgee coal,
A sunrise ch*****ne breakfast
Where the colours touch your soul
Like a Namatjira painting,
That takes your breath away
And it’s little bits of speech
Like “okey dokey” and “g’day”.
We spread the word in far-off countries
But the thrill we get for free
Is when we touch down on the tarmac
In our land that’s girt by sea.
Sure we sing that daggy line
When we stand up with the crowd
In a sea of Green and Gold and we’re proud.
It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing
When you’re belting out that song,
Designer suits or riding boots
Or double-plugger thongs.
Just sing the words with passion
Perhaps a little bit off key
And you’ll know The Land Down Under
Is the only place to be.
Beneath The Southern Cross,
It’s fair dinkum and True Blue,
A Golden sprig of wattle,
The Boxing Kangaroo.
It’s Slouch Hats and Akubras,
The sweat-stained Baggy Green,
Hard Knocks Schools and PhDs
And all things in between.
It’s a great big bunch of clichés
That sometimes hide the fact
When there’s hard work to be done
We hook in and have a crack.
We unite in times of tragedy,
Fire, drought and flood,
Drop the tools and join the fight,
Maybe spill a bit of blood
For a neighbour, for a stranger,
For a battler, for a mate.
That’s the Spirit of Australia,
That’s what makes this country great.
So protect her and respect her
In all you say and do,
Be proud you are Australian
And make sure she’s proud of you.
©Murray Hartin 201
Jenny McEvoy Real Estate
