A swagman (also called a swaggie, sundowner or tussocker) was a transient labourer who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying his belongings in a swag. The term originated in Australia in the 19th century and was later used in New Zealand.
Swagmen were particularly common in Australia during times of economic uncertainty, such as the 1890s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Many unemployed men travelled the rural areas of Australia on foot, their few meagre possessions rolled up and carried in their swag. Their swag was frequently referred to as "Matilda", hence Waltzing Matilda refers to walking with their swag. Typically, they would seek work in farms and towns they travelled through, and in many cases the farmers, if no permanent work was available, would provide food and shelter in return for some menial task.
The figure of the "jolly swagman", represented most famously in Banjo Paterson's bush poem "Waltzing Matilda", became a folk hero in 19th-century Australia, and is still seen today as a symbol of anti-authoritarian values that Australians considered to be part of the national character.
A swagman (also called a swaggie, sundowner or tussocker) was a transient labourer who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying his belongings in...
The Swagman Restaurant was a restaurant in Ferntree Gully, Melbourne, Australia, which opened in 1972 and was destroyed by fire in 1991. The restaurant...
over one's back. The song narrates the story of an itinerant worker, or "swagman", making a drink of billy tea at a bush camp and capturing a stray jumbuck...
"The Swagman" is a 1965 Australian television play. It aired as part of Wednesday Theatre on 31 March 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne. Despite being set...
Once a Jolly Swagman is a 1949 British film starring Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, Bill Owen, Thora Hird and Sid James. It is centred on the sport of...
Frenzal Rhomb, released in 1995. It was re-titled Once a Jolly Swagman, Always a Jolly Swagman for its 1997 U.S. release. The last of these hidden tracks...
Up Jumped a Swagman is a 1965 British musical comedy film directed by Christopher Miles and starring Frank Ifield, Annette Andre, Ronald Radd and Suzy...
Death of a Swagman (1945) is a novel by Australian writer Arthur Upfield. It is the ninth of the author's novels to feature his recurring character Detective...
woman left alone with her baby in a bush hut as she awaits attack by a swagman who has called there during the day. "The Chosen Vessel" originally appeared...
Liquidator (1965) - Judith Thunderball (1965) - Prue (uncredited) Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) - Melissa Smythe-Fury Circus of Fear (1966) - Natasha The Sandwich...
UND UNZER Verlag GmbH. ISBN 9783833859311. "Oktoberfest Munich". Thirsty Swagman. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023. Donald...
Strangler's Web (Edgar Wallace Mysteries) (1965) – Inspector Murray Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) – Publicity Man The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) – Brian The Lady...
Frederick McCubbin's 1889 painting Down on His Luck shows a swagman camping in the bush. McCubbin and other members of the Heidelberg School art movement...
The Heroes of Telemark (1965), He Who Rides a Tiger (1965), Up Jumped a Swagman (1965), with Frank Ifield, and the Charlie Drake comedy Mister Ten Per...
Old Country Buffet Souplantation, also known as Sweet Tomatoes (defunct) Swagman Restaurant (defunct) – a former restaurant in Ferntree Gully, Melbourne...
term for a storage bag used by travellers in the outback, typically a swagman or bushman, for carrying subsistence food (the term tucker being Australian...
Organiser Uncredited 1965 Carry On Cowboy Rider Uncredited 1965 Up Jumped a Swagman Jo-Jo 1966 Where the Bullets Fly Connolly 1967 Far from the Madding Crowd...
Tempo Aspect Red Company MediaQuest Unreleased Unreleased April 29, 1998 Swagman Core Design Eidos Interactive Unreleased April 1997 Unreleased Sword &...
Moon is a 1987 Australian drama film about a young boy, Ned, who thinks a swagman is Santa Claus. It was released in the United States as “The Christmas...
National Park Yellow Water Billabong, in Kakadu National Park Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang...
with Swag All pages with titles containing Swag Swagger (disambiguation) Swagman (disambiguation) SWEG or Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft, a...
actress Jennifer Jones. Her film debut was a minor walk-on in Once a Jolly Swagman (1948), followed by The Blue Lamp (1949). Both of these starred Dirk Bogarde...
of Bogarde's earliest starring roles was in the 1949 film Once a Jolly Swagman, where he played a daring speedway ace, riding for the Cobras. This was...
a 'distinguished citizen'. A bronze statue of Lawson accompanied by a swagman, a dog and a fencepost (reflecting his writing) stands in The Domain, Sydney...
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