Australia’s a big country,
An’ Freedom’s humping bluey,
The opening line speaks for itself; Australia is a pretty big country. It is the poem’s second line that is likely to cause problems for anyone not familiar with Aussie slang. A “bluey” is a rolled-up blanket commonly known as a swag. The connotation here means that someone is carrying that bluey as a hobo or tramp might carry his belongings.
And Freedom’s on the wallaby;
“Someone” in this case is Freedom, an example of personification framed within the imagery of trekking from place to place like an itinerant with few worthy possessions. “On the wallaby” is another example of Aussie slang which informs the reader not only is Freedom trekking from place to place with a rolled-up blanket, it is traveling across the length and breadth of the continent. Freedom is on the march through every last inch of real estate which comprises that big country.
Oh don’t you hear ’er cooey?
Another quote, another bit of Aussie slang. A “cooey” is a particularly shrill cry originated by Aborigines that used in the bush to draw the attention of others, often for the purpose of calling for help or assistance. So the poem begins by setting the scene: freedom is on a path that will take it to all points within Australia and is making its presence not just known, but impossible to ignore.
She’s going to light another fire
And boil another billy.
To “boil the billy” carries essentially the same meaning as put the kettle on; a billy is container suitable for bringing water to a boil over an open flame. Freedom is crossing over Australia with the intent to call for help in bringing down tyrants and with each new targeted victim comes a new fire to be lit and passions to be brought to a boil.
So we must fly a rebel flag,
As others did before us,
This line is a reference to the Eureka Flag which was raised in 1854 during an insurrection by Australian gold miners during what came to be known as Eureka Rebellion. It would become a powerful symbol when raised again during a time of labor unrest: Shearers' strike camp of 1891. The same year in which this poem was initially published.
If blood should stain the wattle
This closing line of the poem has the potential to be quite confusing because wattle is one of those words which not only have multiple definitions, but definitions which are totally unlike one another. For instance, a wattle can refer to each of the following:
• the little red flag of skin that hangs from the throat of a turkey
• bristles on the jaws of some fish
• intertwined branches or twigs used on a thatched roof
• Australia’s national flower
Only one of those myriad meanings makes any sense within the context of the poem, of course, and so final line becomes an example of metonymy as it is a metaphor for the deaths of Australians that may result from the fight for freedom against tyranny.
