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Dec 7, 2014
"
well I waltzed my Matilda all
There were many itinerant and seasonal workers travelling from place to place through the rural parts of Australia particularly in the latter part of the 19th century. These men carried their few possessions wrapped in a blanket that served as their bedroll. This was their Matilda (or swag, or bluey (so called because of the basic color of the cheap wool blanket) - hence swagman and the phrase humping the bluey).
The act of travelling through the bush looking for work was know as waltzing (the) Matilda, most famously in 'Banjo' Patterson's lyrics, 'Waltzing Matilda. Incedentally, there is a queensland version of that famous song that talks of 'leading a waterbag', so one more description of the same act.
The act of travelling through the bush looking for work was know as waltzing (the) Matilda, most famously in 'Banjo' Patterson's lyrics, 'Waltzing Matilda. Incedentally, there is a queensland version of that famous song that talks of 'leading a waterbag', so one more description of the same act.