This seems to be the thread which refuses to die! I recently found the version of this recorded by Warren Fahey and the Larrikins on 'Limejuice and Vinegar' - available from here:

http://australianfolk.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/warren-fahey-larrikins-limejuice-and.html

The lyrics are as follows

By ?? bonny river, in a hut I was born,
Made out of thorns and wild yellow corn,
Was there I met Julia, so fair and so true,
And we went for a row in my gum-tree canoe.

CHORUS:
We will row, yes, we'll row
Over the waters so blue
Like a feather I'm a-floating
My gum-tree canoe.

With me hand on the banjo, me toe on the oar,
I'll sing to my Julia, I'll sing as I row
And the stars they shone down on my Julia, so true,
On the night we rowed out in my Gum-tree canoe.

Was for three solid days we sailed out on the bay,
We could not get back, we were forced there to stay.
Then we spied a large ship, flying the flag of true blue,
And she took us in tow, in my gum-tree canoe.

The liner notes say the following
In 1973 Jim Cargill wrote me a letter asking me to visit him in his Randwick home – he had a song for my collection. Apparently Jim had heard a version of Gumtree Canoe sung by Shirley Jacobs on an ABC radio programme. Jim had learnt the song as a young man and he could recall additional verses to the song. Thanks to Jim Cargill we now have a complete text and traditional tune. Jim Cargill's original version can be heard on Bush Traditions (Larrikin Record LRF007)

This raises a few questions
1. The words here are not quite the same in verses 1-3 as those in this thread from the Jim Cargill version, although most of the changes are slight. BTW - I cannot make out the second word - to me it sounds like 'On ron bonny river'
2. This version misses out verse 4 of the Cargill version.
3. If this version has additional verses to the Shirley Jacobs version - what did she sing?
4. I haven't found any reference to a recording of this by Shirley Jacobs although I haven't found track listings for all her recordings - did she record a version?
5. Does anyone have the actual Jim cargill recording referred to in these notes?

steve