Spinifex and Sand:

Spinifex and Sand

I will sing you a lay of W.A.
Of a wanderer, travelled and tanned
By the sun’s fierce ray, through the livelong day
In the Spinifex and Sand.

At the day’s first dawn, in earliest morn,
As a soldier obeys a command,
From his blanket he’s torn, still weary and worn,
By the Spinifex and Sand.

Unrested still, he must put on the billy,
And eat of the meat that is canned,
He must take his full fill, he must face willy-nilly
The Spinifex and the Sand.

Then he gets on the tracks and sights the arched backs
Of his camels of true South Aus. brand,
And with saddle and sack he must hasten to pack
For the Spinifex and Sand.

From the start until night, till he’s sick of the sight,
There seem to dance hand in hand
A lady so bright, and a green-armoured knight,
The Spinifex and the Sand.

He turns to his mate with “It gets a bit late,”
His mate, he just answers offhand—
“It’s the same soon or late, we’ll camp ‘t any rate
In the Spinifex and Sand.”

As the night drags along, a weird-looking throng
Fills his dreams of a far-off land,
And a voice loud and strong chants the same ceaseless song,
Of the Spinifex and Sand.

Spinifex and Sand Five Years’ Pioneering and Exploration in Western Australia by

David W Carnegie – This book can be read on line for free at: Spinifex and Sand

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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