Riders On the Wind

David Campbell is a Melbourne-based writer of poetry (both traditional and free verse), short stories, and newspaper articles. He is an accredited judge for the Australian Bush Poets Association and regularly presents workshops on poetry and prose.


This is his second collection (following Skycatcher in 2007) of original award-winning Australian traditional (or bush) verse. In these pages you will find 40 poems that have won first prizes in national competitions in the years 2007 to 2012, including:  


Blackened Billy (2)

Boree Log

Bronze Swagman

Bryan Kelleher 

Bush Lantern 

FreeXpresSion (4)

Henry Lawson Society of NSW (2)

Ipswich Poetry Feast (2)

NSW Championships (2)

Rolf Boldrewood 

Toolangi C. J. Dennis (3)

Victorian Championships (2)


At the beginning of 2013 The Truth About Waltzing Matilda (page 101) was awarded Published Poem of the Year in the Australian Bush Laureate Awards at Tamworth.