In the land of Rock and Scrub

Inspired by Banjo Paterson’s The Geebung Polo Club, “The Land of Rock and Scrub”pays tribute to the humour, rivalry, passion and tall tales woven through Australian bush culture.

Fragments of the poem appear in the fiery landscape to the left, where the chaos and comic “battle” of the polo match unfolds. Ghostly riders and players linger among the tombstones, echoes of the exaggerated legends that grow from every bush story.

The spirits of the horses move through the painting, travelling from the turmoil into the living landscape beyond. At the centre, meeting circles represent communities past and present, with the quiet presence of Indigenous spirit moving through the hills and country.

Native trees and ghost gums rise across the land, like watchful spectres. Resilient and life giving. Above them, the beautiful skyline carries the energy and memory of the clash, while the land itself holds the stories.

This piece celebrates the way Australian stories — part truth, part myth — live on in the land and in the spirits that travel through it.