A Country Campfire Bush Poetry Preservation Project
Bush poetry has long been part of Australian life — shared around campfires, kitchen tables, shearing sheds, country halls, pub verandahs, truck stops, stock camps and out on the road.
Some poems are performed in front of a crowd.
Some are recited into a microphone.
Some are written quietly in notebooks, emails, desk drawers and old folders, waiting for somewhere to belong.
Keeping The Verse Alive is Country Campfire’s project to help preserve and share Australian bush poetry in written and recited form.
This is not about chasing trends or filling a website for the sake of it. It is about giving bush poetry a proper permanent home online, and helping keep an important part of Australian country culture alive for future generations.
Some poets recite. Some simply write. Some have published books. Some have never had their work online.
All deserve a place around the campfire.
Want to explore the poetry already gathered around the Country Campfire? Visit our growing Australian Bush Poetry collection, where you can browse all published poems in one place.
🔥 Browse Australian Bush Poetry →
Why This Project Exists
Country Campfire began sharing bush poetry through recitals, recordings and the Bush Poetry Podcast, but the tradition is bigger than audio alone.
There are poems sitting in notebooks, emails, old computer files, folders, printed pages and memories. Some were written by established poets. Others were written by everyday Australians who simply had a yarn, a memory, a place, a laugh or a bit of country life they wanted to put into verse.
Keeping The Verse Alive exists to make space for those poems.
The aim is to preserve and share Australian bush poetry in a way that respects the poet, the poem and the tradition it belongs to.
Written Poems, Recitals and Poet Pages
Country Campfire preserves bush poetry in a few different ways.
Written Poems
When a poet shares a written poem, Country Campfire may publish it as its own individual post. This gives the poem a permanent page, proper credit, a featured image, and a place where readers can return to it over time.
Recited Poems
Some poems are also shared as audio recitals. These may be recorded by the poet, by another contributor, or by Country Campfire with permission.
Contributor Pages
Where possible, poets and contributors are given their own permanent Country Campfire page. These pages may include a short bio, photo, books, links, written poems, recitals and other Country Campfire features connected to that person.
The goal is simple: every poet should have a place where their work can be found, respected and preserved.
Poets and Contributors
The following contributors are part of the early foundation of Keeping The Verse Alive.
The Wannabe Bush Poet
Larrikin • Observer • Storyteller
The Wannabe Bush Poet is an anonymous Australian writer whose poems capture everyday country life with humour, honesty and sharp observation. Shared through Country Campfire’s Keeping The Verse Alive project, these poems preserve stories that might otherwise have been lost.
Poems preserved on Country Campfire include:
David J Delaney
Bush Poet • Writer • Storyteller
David J Delaney is an Australian bush poet and writer whose poems draw on a lifetime of work, travel, family, road memories, outback places and the people he has known along the way. His poems are preserved through Country Campfire as part of the Keeping The Verse Alive project.
Poems published on Country Campfire include:
Ben Eggleton
Bush Poet • Songwriter • Storyteller
A passionate storyteller of rural Australia, Ben Eggleton has shared original poetry and music through recordings, performances and published works. Known as The Bard From The Scrub, his work helps preserve the people, places and traditions that shape country life.
Poems published on Country Campfire include:
James Cayce
Bush Poet • Humourist • Storyteller • Parody Writer
James Cayce is the pen name of Zbigniew “Zig” Ignaszak, a bush poet and storyteller whose work blends humour, parody, memory, gratitude and Australian country verse.
Poems published on Country Campfire include:
More contributors and poems will be added as the project grows.
Do You Have A Bush Poem Sitting Somewhere?
If you have written bush poetry, or know someone who has, Country Campfire would love to hear from you.
You do not need to be famous.
You do not need to be a professional writer.
You do not need to perform on stage.
You may have one poem, a handful of poems, or a lifetime of writing sitting quietly in a drawer.
If your work carries the spirit of Australian country life, bush humour, hardship, history, characters, places, family, working life, mateship, memory, the road, the land or the old storytelling tradition, it may have a place here.
Keeping The Verse Alive is about preserving the voices that might otherwise be missed.
Join the Bush Poetry Group
If you enjoy Australian bush poetry, you can also join the Bush Poetry – Keeping The Verse Alive group on Facebook.
The group is a public place for poems, recitals, yarns, podcast episodes and written verse from around the campfire.
Whether you write, recite, listen, remember old poems, or simply enjoy the tradition, you’re welcome to pull up a seat around the campfire.
Join Bush Poetry – Keeping The Verse Alive on Facebook
Submission and Permission
If you would like to share a poem with Country Campfire, please include:
- your poem title
- your name or preferred pen name
- a short bio or background if you would like one included
- a photo if you are comfortable sharing one
- any book, website or social links you would like included
- whether you are happy for Country Campfire to publish the poem online
- whether you are happy for the poem to be recited or recorded in future
Written permission matters. Country Campfire will not knowingly publish poems without permission from the poet, family, estate or rights holder.
Poets keep ownership of their work.
By giving permission, you are allowing Country Campfire to publish the poem on the Country Campfire website, credit the writer, include it as part of Keeping The Verse Alive, and share links or short excerpts to help promote the poem and poet.
You are not giving away copyright or ownership.
Rights and Copyright
Poems shared through Country Campfire remain the copyright of their original writers.
Country Campfire is here to help preserve and share Australian bush poetry, not to take ownership of anyone’s work.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
A Place Around The Campfire
Country Campfire exists to become Australia’s Digital Campfire — a long-term home for preserving, celebrating and sharing Australian country culture.
Keeping The Verse Alive is one part of that mission.
One poem at a time.
One poet at a time.
One story at a time.
The flame keeps burning.
