I think it was McGrath who, much earlier in this thread, described the apparent differences between Paterson and Laswon in terms of Paterson being at home with those who rode and Lawson being at home with those who walked. I read through all the postings thinking that nobody had picked up on the resonance between "the steerage push" and "the Outside Track."

Charley Noble's penultimate posting comes closer with his '"steerage" being a reference to cheap nautical passage' but I think the sombreness of the connection with "outside track" has been missed by most.

gnomad asks "What is it about Australia and melancholy songs?" gnomad ought to explore Russian songs to fully plumb the depths of melancholy. But, some have theorised the Australian penchant for blighted hopes by reerence to colonial exploration times and contrasted the Australian experience with American experience. While entertaining I think it flawed.

It goes (more or less) as follows;
America was colonised voluntarily by enthusiasts; Australia was colonised by forced labour.
The further west that American explorers went, the better the appearance of the prospects (leaving aside the Donner party and the Morman's Helen Schneyer sang about); the further west the Australian explorers got the tougher (after Bathurst) became the prospects and the liklihood of finding the fabled inland sea.

It goes on and on in such vein, but, hey! You can't be gloomy all your life!

Cheers, Rowan