ABPA — The Australian Bush Poets Association Inc.

Welcome to the Australian Bush Poets Association

WELCOME. Membership of the Australian Bush Poets Association (ABPA) is comprised of writers, performers and individuals who are interested in bush poetry and enjoy written and live stories in rhyme and metre. If you have an interest in this piece of Australian culture called bush poetry, you have come to the right place.

Aims
The objectives of the Australian Bush Poets Association are to foster and encourage the growth of bush poetry in Australia. By definition, Australian bush poetry is metred and rhymed poetry about Australia, Australians and/or the Australian way of life.

Membership
To join the Australian Bush Poets Association and receive our bi-monthly magazine, go to our Membership page.

The ABPA keeps in touch with its members through this website (and forum) and our bi-monthly magazine of bush poetry news, events, results of written and performance competitions as well as samples of contemporary bush poetry. Many members have books, CDs and other products. These can be advertised in the magazine. For rates, click here. The deadline for ads and other content for the magazine is the 22nd of the month preceding publication. Magazines are published at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October and December.

Check out our Facebook page.

Album Launch Concert

Bush Poetry to the Freeversers

Channel Country Poets’ Breakfasts

It was an absolute pleasure to act as MC and also host the Poets’ Breakfast at the 2026 Channel Country Music Muster at Thargomindah in July.

After a huge turnout of attendees supporting the festival last year, following the devastating floods that swept through the town, they once again showed up in their droves for this year’s festival.

A week or so of walk ups and well organised activities leading up to the main weekend event, meant that many thousands of dollars were fed into the town’s economy, not to mention the boost to tourism region wide.

Yes, fuel prices were up, but supply was fine, so that didn’t stop people from travelling out and supporting what has become a must-do festival in the far southwest of Queensland.

The Poets’ Breakfasts were well supported on the Saturday and Sunday, both by walk ups and audience attendees.

It was a pleasure to catch up with some familiar and new faces, with 8 poets joining me on stage: Val Hodson from Wondai, Jan Wilmot from Broadbeach, John Bidgood from Baralaba, Spin from Logan, Paul Flemming from Crows Nest, Claire from Brisbane, Wok Herbert from Nyngan, and Anne Rays from Shellharbour.

Each poet performed at an extremely high level, with both original and traditional works being recited and read.

Everyone kept to time, thoroughly entertained the crowds, and had a bloody good time doing it, which is what it’s all about.

I thank each and every one of those talented poets for their fine contributions, and I look forward to gracing the stage with them again one day soon.

All in all, it was another excellent festival, and credit goes out to the committee, organisers, local shire and sponsors, and those ‘national treasures’ called volunteers for a job so very well done.

Col Driscoll.

Gympie Muster Poets

From back left: Bob Condon, Tony Caswell, Marco Gliori, Stage Manager Zoe, Alan Glover,
front: Murray Hartin, Ray Essery, Neil McArthur.

Another year, another Gympie Muster and another mad crew joined the Bush Poets Camp for four mornings of madness and yarnspinning.

This year’s crew consisted of our esteemed leader, organiser and Gympie stalwart, Marco Gliori; he was joined by the ever-enthusiastic Murray Hartin, first timer Gerry Manion, the world’s oldest man and the Lazurus of Bush Poetry, Ray Essery as well as Tewantin funny man and lawyer (bit of an oxymoron there) Bob Condon, alongside Tewantin fishmonger and world renowned hip replacement survivor, Brad Maclean. Mixed with the ever-increasing ramblings of Wordsmith from Wollombi, Mr. Alan Glover and the moaning and attention-seeking of yours truly after a heart transplant/small cardiac procedure, this year’s Camp was located further towards the Ambulance tent, while the Poets’ Camp itself resembled a cross between the 4077th MASH hospital and the Sunnyside Aged Care resort for the mentally ill.

So it was a most surprising sight to see all the aforementioned taking to the stage each morning, navigating some extreme and nasty stairs, and performing at a world record pace to our loyal and appreciative audiences.

Despite some memory issues and small bouts of incontinence, the shows seemed to go off rather nicely.

Guest spots also saw Tony Caswell and Justin Geange strut their stuff on stage but on a serious note, I almost died and no one cared.

Marco Gliori is perhaps the longest serving artist ever at The Gympie National Music Muster, and continues to have the patience of a saint to continually put together a crew that does justice to the genre of Australian Storytelling.

First-timer Gerry Mannion, not only had some wonderful brackets, but managed to beat off some very seasoned one minute Poetry stalwarts and past champions (and Murray Hartin) to take out the mantle as One-Minute Champion 2026.

Our Campers Brawl, where the Campers wrote and delivered a poem that did not last more than 60 seconds was this year won by Sarah Wells who received cash and Muster Souvenirs for her poem about the Muster itself. Congrats to other finalists, Steve McAteer, Bob Donahue, Tony Caswell, Justin Geange and Wagga Rod. Another great event!

So onwards, upwards, sidewards and backwards for next year and see what breed of rabbit Marco pulls out of the hat for next years Mob of Muster Poets!

Australian Camp Oven Festival in Millmerran, Queensland

The 15th Australian Camp Oven Festival was held at the Millmerran Showgrounds in the heart of the Darling Downs over the October 3rd and 4th Weekend.

As the dust finally settled from the last smoldering coals, and caravans began packing up for the trip back home, all will look back on the 2026 Festival as one of the best yet.

Over the two hot but glorious days, the rich scent of burning ironbark, slow-cooked oven roasts and freshly baked damper. Families and couples of all ages explored the wonderful cuisine only a Camp Oven Festival can provide.

Beyond the camp ovens, the showgrounds were alive with working heritage displays, shearing demonstrations, and the always-popular damper-throwing and billy-boiling competitions.

The two stages ran non-stop with live music and other entertainment. MCs Gary Fogarty, Mick Martin and Neil McArthur worked hard to keep the entertainment flowing.

And, of course, there were the Poets’ Breakfasts. Always a highlight, and always packed out. This year the guest poets were Neil McArthur, Bill Kearns and Gary Fogarty. The crowd were incredibly receptive, appreciative and even seemed to like Neil McArthur! Always a massive turnout at the Breakfasts and it has become one of the most iconic Poets’ Breakfasts in the country.

It’s a credit to the organisers, volunteers and everyone involved in running the festival that they see fit to include our wonderful art of Australian storytelling as such a big part of what truly is a unique Aussie Festival.

EKKA Poetry Competition

The Royal Brisbane Show (EKKA) Bush Poetry Competition was run over the weekend of 8-9 August.
Above are (left) Carmel Wooding and Justin Geange, (centre) EKKA 150th Anniversary Poem section - James Warren 3rd, Justin Geange 2nd, Gerry Mannion 1st, (right) Justin Geange – Overall Champion - for the third time!

See full results here.

Logan Performance Bush Poets win big at the ‘150 Years Celebration’ EKKA Bush Poetry Event 2026

The Royal Queensland Show, affectionately known as the EKKA, has supported Bush Poetry for many years with some of the best prize money in the country and bragging rights for the winners.

This year the EKKA celebrated its 150th Anniversary with poetry performances in three sections: Open Established, Open Original and Open with an EKKA 150-year theme that saw poets vying for the ultimate prize of the QUEENSLAND BUSH POETRY OVERALL CHAMPION FOR 2026.

Justin Geange, from Daisy Hill, a member of the Logan Performance Bush Poets, was crowned the QUEENSLAND BUSH POETRY OVERALL CHAMPION FOR 2026 for the best bush poetry performances in the open classes taking home a new Akubra hat, trophies, sashes and the all-important bragging rights.

Gerry Mannion, from Springwood, the President of the Logan Performance Bush Poets, won first place in the 150 Years of Ekka Celebration poem with his original poem titled “EKKA 150”. Gerry stated ‘I am appreciative of the opportunity the Ekka provides to Bush Poets to perform their craft and keep the traditional poems alive and to bring new poets, younger poets and poems to the stage.’ He said this year the standard of performance and poetry was fantastic and the variety of poems outstanding. Gerry also congratulated other Logan Performance Bush Poets including Paul Wincen, Max Borchardt and Ian Stevenson for their performances.

Logan members have taken home the bragging rights at the Ekka since 2023 with Justin Geange the Champion in 2023, 2025 and 2026 and Gerry Mannion the Champion in 2024.

Logan Performance Bush Poets have for the past few years proved they have the depth of talented poets who perform at the EKKA and many other events locally, state-wide and Australia-wide. They will be performing next at the Brisbane Kids Kalbar Haybale Trail and Country Day 2026 - a free event on Saturday 17 October.

A big thank you to the sponsors of the Ekka Bush Poetry event including, Akubra, Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and White Ribbon.

And a thank you to the Ekka Judges, David Fagan (Councillor) and Honorary Council Stewards, Mick Martin and Mal Beveridge and the MC on the day, Ron Liekefett and chief organiser Suzanne Honour.

The Logan Performance Bush Poets thank those that support our organisation:
• Springwood Yurana Retirement Village – Activity Centre
• Phoenix Ensemble-Beenleigh
• Beenleigh Show Society
• Jim Chalmers MP Federal Member for Rankin
• Rowan Holzberg, MP Federal Member for Forde
• Cameron Dick MP Member for Woodridge
• Linus Power MP Member for Logan
• Melissa McMahon MP Member for Macallister
• Mick de Brenni MP Member for Springwood

For further information please contact Gerry Mannion, President of the Logan Performance Bush Poets, on 0411 021 870.

Poetry Performance Workshop viewable online

On Sunday 17 August the ABPA hosted a poetry performance workshop with Mel and Susie (2/3 of the judges for the 2025 National Bush Poetry Championships). The workshop was recorded and can be viewed on the Multimedia page.

Past Magazines now online

The historic magazines of the ABPA from its inception in 1994 are now available here. See how we used to look!