Old Bullock Dray, The

DESCRIPTION: The bullock driver is preparing for a good life in the bush. He seeks a wife, and prepares to head out to find land. He urges others along: "So it's roll up your blankets, and let's make a push; I'll take you upcountry and show you the bush...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Paterson's _Old Bush Songs_)
KEYWORDS: Australia travel settler
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Meredith/Anderson-FolkSongsOfAustralia, p. 127, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fahey-Eureka-SongsThatMadeAustralia, pp. 66-67, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fahey-PintPotAndBilly, pp. 34-35, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PenguinAustralianSongbook, pp. 140-141, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal-OldBushSongs-CentenaryEdition, pp. 143-149, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
Scott-ACollectorsNotebook-31TraditionalSongs, p. 20, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text, 1 tune, but only the chorus is from Scott's informant)
Ward-PenguinBookOfAustralianBallads, p. 54, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
Stewart/Keesing-FavoriteAustralianBallads, pp. 42-43, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Bill Wannan, _The Australians: Yarns, ballads and legends of the Australian tradition_, 1954 (page references are to the 1988 Penguin edition), pp. 53-55, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
A. K. MacDougall, _An Anthology of Classic Australian Lore_ (earlier published as _The Big Treasury of Australian Foiklore_), The Five Mile Press, 1990, 2002, pp. 309-310, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
Bill Beatty, _A Treasury of Australian Folk Tales & Traditions_, 1960 (I use the 1969 Walkabout Paperbacks edition), pp. 299-300, "The Old Bullock Dray" (1 text)
Roud #22603
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "The Old Bullock Dray" (on JGreenway01)
NOTES [510 words]: Settlers in Australia had two major problems: Lack of women (since most convicts were men) and lack of land (since the good properties had been snatched up by early settlers and the wealthy).
The lack of women is clearly revealed in the song: "Everything that has two legs presents itself to view, From the little padpymelon to the boxing Kangaroo." The paddymelon/pademelon is a small wallaby that lived along the eastern coast in forest areas (Parish, p. 25); the "boxing kangaroo" is probably the Red Kangaroo, the largest kangaroo and, indeed, the largest living marsupial (Parish, p. 27), or the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, somewhat smaller but a kangaroo that lives near the coast rather than in the outback (Parish, p. 27)..
As for acquiring land: In 1861, Sir John Robertson (the "Jackie Robertson" of some versions of the song; 1816-1891) promoted the New South Wales Free Selection Act, which made at least some land available to newcomers. Although it didn't really solve the problem, it promoted the era of good feeling apparently described in this song. Robertson was Premier of New South Wales 1860-1861, 1868-1870, 1875-1877, 1885-1886 (Learmonth, p. 455), so the Free Selection Act clearly cost his government dear. Still, the law took effect: "From the first day of January 1862 any person could purchase between forty and three hundred and twenty acres of crown land other than town lands, suburban lands, or proclaimed goldfields at twenty shillings per acre" with 25% down and the rest due within three years (Clark, p. 154).
Clearly, though, our bullock driver has little respect for this plan; I would guess he wanted to squat beyond the Robertson territory.
The "Depot" mentioned in some texts, called the "Factory" in others, is the compound at Parramatta where female immigrants were kept. Referred to as the "Female Factory," it allowed settlers to come in and seek wives. The mention of it appears to be an anachronism, since by the time of the Free Selection Acts, its role had changed; it was active 1804-1848, according to Learmonth, p. 188. For more about it, see the notes to "Botany Bay Courtship (The Currency Lasses)."
Of course, a visit to the Female Factory did not guarantee finding a wife. On the other hand, conditions there were so dire (cramped and dirty, without even a real bed unless the convict could pay for it) that many women would accept any man who came along -- and then leave him or go to one of the towns and work there (Hughes, pp. 253-257).
Other sundry references: Barramundi are a fish found along Australia's north coast, from the curve of Western Australia along the north coast around through most of Queensland. "During its life history it is found in freshwater billabongs, lagoond and rivers, then down estuaries into the sea" (Parish, p. 114). It is not found in New South Wales. Thus this is another inconsistency, since John Robertson's actions would not be relevant to the barramundi regions of Queensland.
Davey/Seal, p. 203, observe that "the song does not note if the bullocky was successful." - RBW
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File: MA127

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