Bush poets were
Australian poets who wrote about life in the
Australian bush during the
colonial era. The genre came into its own with the founding of
The Bulletin in 1880, which fostered
Australian culture and promoted the bush as a source of national ideals. Bush poets associated with the publication, such as
Banjo Paterson and
Henry Lawson, used characteristically colloquial and colourful language, and their underlying thematic concern was the emergence and development of the Australian identity.