Song of Australia

"The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline J. Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger (1810-1862), a prominent member of the Australian Forty-Eighters.

The song was popularised in Australia by a beautifulFact|date=May 2008 and stirringFact|date=May 2008 rendition in the early 20th century by Australian baritone Peter Dawson.

The song was one of four included in a national plebiscite to choose Australia's national song in 1977. Nationwide it was the least popular of the four choices, but it had the distinction of being the most popular choice in South Australia.cite web | year = 2002 | url = http://www.aph.gov.au/library/elect/referend/pleb.htm| title = Plebiscite results - see 1977 National Song Poll | work = Elections and referendums | publisher = Department of the Parliament (Australian federal government) | accessdate = 2007-11-21]

The four songs in the plebiscite were: Waltzing Matilda; the then current anthem, God Save the Queen; the now current anthem, Advance Australia Fair; and Song of Australia.

References

External links

* [http://www.lionsedwardstown.org.au/song%20of%20australia.htm Song of Australia]
* [http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/song.htm More history of "Song of Australia"]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060824073841/http://navy.gov.au/ranband/audio/Song_of_Australia.mp3 Recording by the Royal Australian Navy Band] in MP3 format