# The Great Grey Plain

Out West, where the stars are brightest,  Where the scorching north wind blows, And the bones of the dead gleam whitest,  And the sun on a desert glows — Yet within the selfish kingdom  Where man starves man for gain, Where white men tramp for existence —  Wide lies the Great Grey Plain.
No break in its awful horizon,  No blur in the dazzling haze, Save where by the bordering timber  The fierce, white heat-waves blaze, And out where the tank-heap rises  Or looms when the sunlights wane, Till it seems like a distant mountain  Low down on the Great Grey Plain.
No sign of a stream or fountain,  No spring on its dry, hot breast, No shade from the blazing noontide  Where a weary man might rest. Whole years go by when the glowing  Sky never clouds for rain — Only the shrubs of the desert  Grow on the Great Grey Plain.
From the camp, while the rich man's dreaming,  Come the 'traveller' and his mate, In the ghastly dawnlight seeming  Like a swagman's ghost out late; And the horseman blurs in the distance,  While still the stars remain, A low, faint dust-cloud haunting  His track on the Great Grey Plain.
And all day long from before them  The mirage smokes away — That daylight ghost of an ocean  Creeps close behind all day With an evil, snake-like motion,  As the waves of a madman's brain: 'Tis a phantom NOT like water  Out there on the Great Grey Plain.
There's a run on the Western limit  Where a man lives like a beast, And a shanty in the mulga  That stretches to the East; And the hopeless men who carry  Their swags and tramp in pain — The footmen must not tarry  Out there on the Great Grey Plain.
Out West, where the stars are brightest,  Where the scorching north wind blows, And the bones of the dead seem whitest,  And the sun on a desert glows — Out back in the hungry distance  That brave hearts dare in vain — Where beggars tramp for existence —  There lies the Great Grey Plain.
'Tis a desert not more barren  Than the Great Grey Plain of years, Where a fierce fire burns the hearts of men —  Dries up the fount of tears: Where the victims of a greed insane  Are crushed in a hell-born strife
Where the souls of a race are murdered  On the Great Grey Plain of Life!
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
* published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
* anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
* government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse