Australian Bush Poets Association - ABPA

23/02/2026

Outback Pioneers of Longreach are still looking for a bush poet to cover their upcoming winter season. If you have the time and talent, this is for you! See their post below for details …

Calling Aussie bush poets and storytellers!

We're on the lookout for a genuine Bush Poet – someone who lives and breathes the outback, who loves a good honest yarn, and knows how to touch the soul with an Australian bush ballad.

This isn't just about performing; it's about connecting with people, sharing our heritage, and keeping those timeless tales alive. If you're a natural storyteller, with a passion for the bush, and a love for our history, we want to hear from you.

We need someone ready to head out west to Longreach for next season (March - October). It's a chance to immerse yourself in the heart of Queensland, share your gift, and be a part of a community that truly appreciates the art of bush poetry.

If you're ready to make your mark, and share your passion around the campfire, please send us a direct message on Facebook and send us an enquiry via our website. We'll tell you all you need to know about joining us for an unforgettable season.

PS: If you know someone that might be a perfect fit, please share our post.

16/02/2026

Closing Date 3 May 2026

Full Details here: https://henrylawsonfestival.com.au/content/short-story-verse-competitions/

✍️ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 | 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 & 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲
Theme: Legends & Larrikins

Inspired by the enduring characters of Henry Lawson, this year’s theme invites writers to explore the legends we admire and the larrikins who challenge, amuse and endure.

Lawson’s work is filled with quiet heroes, cheeky troublemakers, battlers and bush philosophers. These were characters who meet hardship with humour, resilience and a sharp eye for human nature.

Legends & Larrikins celebrates those characters on the page, and the everyday people who still carry their spirit today.

🌾 𝗣𝗢𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
(Limited to 48 lines)
Open Section (18+)
🥇 $1,000 | 🥈 $500
High School Student
🥇 $250 | 🥈 $100
Primary School Student
🥇 $100 | 🥈 $50

📖 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
(Up to 2,000 words)
Open Section (18+)
🥇 $1,000 | 🥈 $500
High School Student
🥇 $250 | 🥈 $100
Primary School Student
🥇 $100 | 🥈 $50

🗓 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲:
Midnight (AEST), 3 May 2026
Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller, an emerging writer or a young voice discovering the power of words — this is your invitation to write boldly, truthfully and with heart.

✨ Celebrate the legends
✨ Embrace the larrikins
✨ Let Lawson’s characters inspire your own

👇 Find full details and enter here:https://henrylawsonfestival.com.au/content/short-story-verse-competitions/?portfolioCats=14l

06/02/2026

✍️ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 | 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 & 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲
Theme: Legends & Larrikins

Inspired by the enduring characters of Henry Lawson, this year’s theme invites writers to explore the legends we admire and the larrikins who challenge, amuse and endure.

Lawson’s work is filled with quiet heroes, cheeky troublemakers, battlers and bush philosophers. These were characters who meet hardship with humour, resilience and a sharp eye for human nature.

Legends & Larrikins celebrates those characters on the page, and the everyday people who still carry their spirit today.

🌾 𝗣𝗢𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
(Limited to 48 lines)
Open Section (18+)
🥇 $1,000 | 🥈 $500
High School Student
🥇 $250 | 🥈 $100
Primary School Student
🥇 $100 | 🥈 $50

📖 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
(Up to 2,000 words)
Open Section (18+)
🥇 $1,000 | 🥈 $500
High School Student
🥇 $250 | 🥈 $100
Primary School Student
🥇 $100 | 🥈 $50

🗓 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲:
Midnight (AEST), 3 May 2026
Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller, an emerging writer or a young voice discovering the power of words — this is your invitation to write boldly, truthfully and with heart.

✨ Celebrate the legends
✨ Embrace the larrikins
✨ Let Lawson’s characters inspire your own

👇 Find full details and enter here:https://henrylawsonfestival.com.au/content/short-story-verse-competitions/?portfolioCats=14l

22/01/2026

Toowoomba bush poets

22/01/2026

Andy Irvine at Numeralla

International folk legend, Andy Irvine will be playing at the Friday night concert at the Numeralla Hall. For more than five decades, Andy has been regarded as one of Ireland's great singer songwriters and was at the forefront of the world music movement. Andy has been hailed as "a tradition in himself."

22/01/2026

Numeralla FOLK FESTIVAL

We can't wait to see everyone this weekend.
Please remember that unfortunately we are unable to welcome pups to the hall and grounds.

21/12/2025

From Jim Lamb

21/12/2025

From Robyn Sykes re Cobargo festival

Kimberly K Williams is an award-winning poet. Her poems are often historically based and about every-day women of the 19th century. Her second book, Sometimes a Woman (Recent Work Press 2021), about the madams and prostitutes who helped to settle the US ‘Wild West’, won the 2022 WILLA Literary Award for Poetry. Her third book, Still Lives (Gazebo Books 2022), won a Canberra Critics Award in 2023 and was short-listed for the ACT Poetry Book of the Year. A natural performer, she is a lecturer at Central Queensland University and is originally from Detroit.

Tickets available cobargofolkfestival.com
—-----

FREE FRINGE CELEBRATION • IT TAKES A VILLAGE •
Spreading the festival fun with music & art into the heart of Cobargo village
26 - 27 February 2026, Cobargo Village NSW

2026 COBARGO FOLK FESTIVAL • 27 February - 1 March 2026
Cobargo Showgrounds NSW

16/12/2025

From Mcilveen Tom

04/12/2025

VALE TED EGAN

Folk music legend, author and former Northern Territory administrator Ted Egan has died aged 93.

04/12/2025

VALE Ted Egan by Peter Denahy