G'day Chet,

As promised, I dug out the words to Diamantina Drover. I wasn't too far out with the author's name - it is Hugh McDonald, not Hector ~.

I hope this pastes in correctly; it is copied straight from an MS Word 6.0 file.

THE DIAMANTINA DROVER
By Hugh McDonald

The faces in the photograph are faded,
And I can't believe he looks so much like me,
For it's been ten long years today since I left for old Cork Station -
Saying I won't be back till the droving's done.

CHORUS: For the rain never falls on the dusty Diamantina,
The drover finds it hard to change his mind,
For the years have surely gone like the drays from old Cork Station -
And I won't be back till the droving's done.

It seems like the sun comes up each morning,
Sets me up and then takes it all away,
For the dreaming by the light of the campfire at night,
Ends with the burning light of day. CHORUS

I sometimes think I'll settle back in Sydney,
But it's been so long and it's hard to change your mind,
For the cattle trail goes on and on, and the fences roll forever -
And I won't be back when the droving's done. CHORUS

This comes from the Second Bushwackers Australian Songbook, Anne O'Donovan Pty Ltd, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, 1983 - out of print.

Old Cork Station, in southwestern Queensland, is located on a large billabong among the many dry watercourses of the Diamantina river.

Right! - That seems to have worked (at least before sending it)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 28-Mar-02.