Bush Poet • Folk Performer • Storyteller • Comedian • Broadcaster
Peter Pentland, also known as Hayseed, performs traditional-style songs and bush poetry from the “hay(seed) day” of Australian folk music. His work brings the characters, humour and hard-earned stories of farm and bush life in South-Eastern Australia to the stage.
With roots in agriculture and decades of experience across folk performance, comedy, radio and television, Peter has built a distinctive body of work grounded in rural life and Australian storytelling. In his own neat phrase, he has “put culture into agriculture.”
This Country Campfire Legend page brings Peter’s poems, recordings, photographs and appearances together in one permanent home, giving people a place to find his work beyond the fast-moving social media feed. It will continue to grow as more of his contributions are shared around the campfire.
From Agriculture to Australian Folk Stages
Peter’s stories draw on farm and bush life in South-Eastern Australia, carried through traditional-style songs, bush poetry and a dry sense of humour. Performing as Hayseed, he has spent years turning the language, machinery, people and everyday experiences of rural Australia into material made to be heard aloud.
His album Beaut Little Fergie Tractor was recorded live at the Dan O’Connell Hotel in 1978. The recording opened the door to a wider performance career that included stand-up comedy at Le Joke, the Banana Lounge and Catch a Rising Star.
Peter later worked in radio through Coodabeen Champions and Bindyborawacks on 3RRR, and appeared on television in Shirls Neighbourhood. Across each medium, the same thread remained: Australian characters, rural observation and stories shaped for an audience.
He has performed at folk and poetry festivals, including the 2026 National Folk Festival, carrying his traditional Australian material into contemporary festival settings and keeping the spoken and sung stories of country life in circulation.
Follow Peter Pentland
Peter’s performances and recordings can be found on his YouTube channel.
Connect with Peter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.pentland1/
To buy Peter’s CD Beaut Little Fergie Tractor, contact Peter via Email: peterpentland@iinet.net.au
Peter Pentland on Country Campfire
The following poems by Peter Pentland have been shared on Country Campfire:
A tragic tale (tail?) of two dogs
A darkly comic pub yarn about two boastful drinkers, their long-suffering dogs and a barman driven beyond the end of his patience.
Friesian Heifer
A rollicking farmyard yarn about one stubborn Friesian heifer, a determined dairy farmer and a battle of wills that leaves more than pride badly bruised.
Ruffer’s Guts
A darkly comic bush yarn about three swaggering troublemakers who discover one St Kilda granny is far tougher than she looks.
Potato picker AI version
A riotous comic bush poem about a modern potato picker turning one farm into a trail of flying spuds, wrecked sheds and mechanical mayhem.
Taste for Religion
A mischievous comic bush yarn about a cranky old Englishman, his formidable pet badger and the religious visitors who dare to call.
Bluey
Bluey is a rollicking bush yarn about a wayward blue heeler whose cattle-working enthusiasm ends in an Angus bull, a flattened hut and a missing set of teeth.
The Croquet Match
A rollicking bush yarn about a sly swagman who uses a made-up croquet match to bring a boastful shearer down a peg or two.
Rights And Permission
Poems and contributions are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
Country Campfire Legend #16