For the past decade, Scott Farquhar has spent his working life behind the wheel of cattle trucks, travelling the long roads and cattle country of northern Australia. His bush poetry comes from that life: the places he has passed through, the people he has met and the moments that stay with a bloke long after the engine has gone quiet.
From Adelaide to cattle country
Originally from Adelaide, Scott entered the transport industry after leaving school. He later moved to Katherine and built a life around cattle trucks, remote roads and the unpredictable work that comes with moving stock across the country.
Those years have given him no shortage of material. His writing draws on the humour, characters and hard-earned lessons found along the road, with some yarns written for a laugh and others reaching closer to home.
Finding bush poetry
Scott had always enjoyed bush poetry, but hearing Murray Hartin’s Turbulence one night gave him the push to try writing some of his own.
It came during a period when life had knocked him around and he found himself struggling with the black dog. Writing became a way to shape those experiences into stories—some funny, some thoughtful and some carrying the weight of things often left unsaid.
After Scott shared a few poems with his mates, they encouraged him to put them out into the world. In his own words, he is simply an “ordinary bloke telling a few stories”. That plain-spoken honesty sits at the heart of his work.
Yarns from behind the wheel
Scott’s first poem shared through Country Campfire captures the mix of bravado, humour and vulnerability familiar to anyone who has worked alone through the night. It is a yarn from the road, told in the voice of someone who has lived it.
Follow Scott
The following poems by Scott Farquhar have been featured on Country Campfire:
Are You on Channel, Mate?
A quick-witted trucking yarn about a road train, an open gate and the long walk that follows when haste gets the better of you.
Wasn’t Scared, Just in a Hurry
A quick-witted trucking yarn about a road train, an open gate and the long walk that follows when haste gets the better of you.
Watch Wasn’t Scared, Just in a Hurry on YouTube
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 #23