OUR HOME OUR HEART
Samuel Rowell

Sun struck country, bold and grand
Thrilling landscapes never bland
Cockatoo screech up in the sky
Monoliths standing proud so high
Landscape red as sunburnt crayon
The hot sands, kangaroo lay on.

Gallant gums shading fauna
Rivers going on forever
Majestic mountain ranges tall
Sacred stories told to all
Danger lurks behind the beauty
Lethal creatures do their duty.

On the land, this country thrives
The future seen through hazy eyes
Treading hard on our home
Doing damage not yet known
The outback is home to many
But in the end, will there be any?

Farmers sweating, working hard
In nature's game, they play their card
Mother Earth will not rest
As her struggles manifest
We must help and take part
To protect our home, our heart.

LIFE IN MENDOORAN
Elizabeth Campbell

Sunsets painted on skies of dusk,
Clouds soft and gentle, outlined in musk.
Calm blue sky, stars shining bright,
Pale moon, soft and white.

Castlereagh, running over the land,
Running over old tracks printed in the sand.
Tracks of livestock, tracks of people,
Tracks that we now recognise as equal.

In fields of grass where the spirits weave,
In the gentle breeze, my mind finds reprieve.
Reprieve from days long and hot,
That gentle breeze leads to the same spot

Crystal clear river, ferocious and proud,
Every time I go, I hear the same sounds.
The whistle of birds, the crunching of leaves,
The sound of the water flowing with ease.

As the animals play, live and wild,
I begin to feel mild.
I feel at peace with this natural scene,
Better than anything caught on a screen.

As the grass begins to yellow and the plants start to weep,
Winter comes and puts everything to sleep.
Not a sound from the cows, not a sound from the plants,
Even the spirits are asleep, stuck in a trance.

Even in this dull quiet, not a sound to be heard,
As spring approaches, life begins to stir.
Here come the birds, here come the bees,
If you listen real closely, the spirits whisper in the breeze.

They whisper stories, they whisper songs,
They whisper of lessons that teach right from wrong.
For years before and for years to come,
To these lessons, everyone succumbs.

Through winter, summer, autumn and spring,
Life here is always in swing.
From every corner, there is beauty abounds,
Kindness and hope are there to be found.

In the gentle arms of spirits, old,
A grand story awaits to be told.
A story of beauty, a story of strife,
The story that gives all of us life.

Mendooran, the oldest town on the Castlereagh with stories older than time,
The truth is … All of Australia rings the same chime.
Beauty, grace, elegance and life,
Live in Australia, you’ll be far from strife

WHAT YOU WILL FIND....
Sibella de Meyrick

Look around and you will see, the most beautiful place to ever be,
The Australian bushland is a world of its own, come with me to the unknown.

Firstly, we have the amazing big red kangaroo, it can jump over 3 metres high, it’s honestly true!

Next, we have the koala, so cuddly and soft, only found around the coast, far away from the land that’s too hot!

The emu is a strange looking bird, so tall with lots of feathers, it doesn’t leave the ground, but it is over 6 feet tall as it measures.

The kookaburra is one of the funniest birds that you will ever see, it chuckles and laughs at anything, while up in the tall gum tree.

The platypus is one of my favourites, such a strange looking mammal, it has a duck bill at its front and then four webbed feet attached to a barrel.

I could easily go on and on and share more about what you could find in our

magnificent bushland, but I’ll let you discover it all for yourself and you can see the beauty first hand

EMBRACING THE BUSHLAND BLISS
Sehajleen Kaur

Beneath the Southern Cross, my heart finds reprieve,
Returning to the bushland, where spirits weave.
Golden wattles greet me in a warm embrace,
As the gum trees whisper tales of time and space.
Hills unfold before me, like a mother's arms,

Embracing me with tender, timeless charms.
Kookaburra's laughter, a familiar song,
Welcoming me back, where I truly belong.
Rivers flow with memories, ancient and deep,
As I tread upon the land where dreams seep.

Deserts hold the stories of my soul,
A connection beyond, making me whole.
The sun sets in hues of amber and red,
A painted sky, where emotions are led.
The bushland, my mother, in every breeze,

Guiding me home with a sense of ease.
Ancestral whispers echo through the air,
Roots that bind, a legacy to bear.
Dreamtime stories unfold in the night,
As the stars above guide with soft light.
In the heart of the bush, my love takes flight,

A passion that burns, pure and bright.
The eucalyptus scent, a familiar balm,
Calming my spirit with its gentle psalm.
The land, my mother, cradles my being,
In every leaf, in every sight worth seeing.
Under Bunjil's gaze, a celestial guide,
I find solace in this vast, bushland stride.

As I lay beneath the Southern Cross' gleam,
The Australian bush, my eternal dream.
In this sacred embrace, where love is rife,
I find my motherland, my cherished life.

THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH 
By Bree Wong 

Trees dance to the rhythm of the wind as the clouds drift away, 
Leaves fall slowly, down, down, down, then on the ground they lay. 
I inhale a breath of the fresh, damp, earthy air and grin, 
The strong scent of eucalyptus wafts to my nose, around, then in. 
I close my eyes for a second or two and observe all of the sounds, 
Birds chirping, cicadas singing, these noises are all around. 
The female tree, her bark smooth as silk, 
Stands high above the clouds white as milk. 
The male tree, his bark coarse and rough, 
Looks like a strong bodybuilder, big and tough. 
The bitter taste of lilly pillies makes me turn up my nose, 
But, make it into a cordial and the appeal grows. 
The bush is so peaceful as the trees swing and sway, 
It’s a place you can be yourself and I like it this way.

LOVE POEM TO THE BUSH
By Brooke Chapman

The bush lays before me, she rests in silent majesty. 
She wears a gown of leaves that spiral and dance towards the ground. 
Atop her head, a crown of endless blue sky is perched. 
The line of mountains surrounds; an outline of her physique. 
Her shining eyes are the sun rays that dance across the shimmering waters. 
Birds singing their sweet melody are the mere echoes of her voice. 
The cracks and crevices that line her body are artworks of the places she’s been. 
Winding trees stretch into her delicate hands that reach towards the endless sky. 
Kangaroos stand proud, arching their backs and flexing their paws. 
Snakes slither and hiss, coiling their bodies and baring their fangs. 
Spiders tip toe silently, preparing to wrap any threats in delicate silk. 
These predators fortify, stopping at nothing to protect the bush, their queen. 
The bush, my queen, my safety, my muse, my love. 
Hold me always in your sovereign grace and breathe life into me. 
If you promise to remain in your perpetual beauty I will protect you forever. 
Though my words may try, they will never capture what sights and feelings my eyes 
can.