Waltzing Matilda | Summary | Main Idea

This week we have unpacked the literary devices and language in a poem written by Banjo Paterson (A Very famous Australian writer). Down below are some words that were used in the old days so I will provide the meanings of them.

Waltzing - Walking on Foot

Matilda - Swag Bag

Jumbuck - Sheep

Swag man - Seasonal Worker

Squatter - Home Owner

Billa bong - Water Hole

The swag man(seasonal worker) was sitting one day when he saw a jumpbuck(sheep), so he stole it and hid it in his tucker bag. The police came and asked him what he had in his tucker bag. They tried to capture him but he jumped inside the water hole because he didn’t want to go to jail. The myth is that his spirit can still be heard around the billabong (water hole).

Main Idea of the poem -

The main idea of this poem is how the swag man stole the jumbuck, and would’ve drowned and died instead of going to jail, since the police came.