At the Melting of the Snow
At the Melting of the Snow - fact Summary
Monaro Country Nostalgia
This poem celebrates Banjo Paterson’s attachment to the Monaro region of southeastern Australia. It frames the seasonal return to the “old Monaro country” at the melting of the snow as a communal, optimistic journey toward spring, work and familiar landscape. The speaker names local signs—wattles, thrushes, ploughing—to anchor a personal and regional affection rooted in Paterson’s own experience of rural Australian life.
Read Complete AnalysesThere's a sunny Southern land, And it's there that I would be Where the big hills stand, In the South Countrie! When the wattles bloom again, Then it's time for us to go To the old Monaro country At the melting of the snow. To the East or to the West, Or wherever you may be, You will find no place Like the South Countrie. For the skies are blue above, And the grass is green below, In the old Monaro country At the melting of the snow. Now the team is in the plough, And the thrushes start to sing, And the pigeons on the bough Sit a-welcoming the Spring. So come, my comrades all, Let us saddle up and go To the old Monaro country At the melting of the snow.
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