I was musing this morning about what Lawson meant in using the term "outside track" and after reviewing this long and interesting thread came across Bob Bolton's response:

"Lawson uses The Outside Track to mean the working world beyond colonial Australia - contrasted to the home track, the familiar and accepting world of Australia."

There's also the idea that the "outside track" is a remote part of a sheep-herding station, remote from the boss's home, and thus beyond the overview of authority.

I originally thought "outside track" had more to do with horse racing, the "inside track" being the shortest but most competitive one.

Then there's the connection with the "steerage push" in the last verse, and "push" is not a word we're familiar with in the States but seems to have some military slang meaning as well, at least as it was used by Australian troops in World War 1.

I still love this song!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble