Episode Twenty-Three: Henry Lawson in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area Henry Lawson’s Crumbs Podcast

In 1916 and 1917, Henry Lawson lived in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, where he had the responsibility of writing promotional materials to attract settlers to the area. One of the unexpected benefits of the move from Sydney was that it provided for Lawson the opportunity to reconnect with Jim Gordon. Lawson and Gordon had not seen one another for 23 years, but their shared experiences in Bourke in 1892 and 1893 had formed a sufficiently strong bond that they were immediately able to pick up their friendship when they got back together in the summer of 1916. In this episode we discuss Henry Lawson’s time in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and some of the writing created there and inspired by his experiences living there.

Lawson works discussed in the episode:

First Impressions of Leeton. Originally published in The Murrumbidgee Irrigator, 28 January 1916.

Drought and Irrigation. Originally published in The Murrumbidgee Irrigator, 4 February 1916.

Leeton Town. Originally published in The Murrumbidgee Irrigator, 11 February 1916.

Travellin’. Originally published in The Bulletin, 30 March 1916.

By the Banks of the Murrumbidgee. Originally published in The Bulletin, 18 May 1916.

Bonnie of our Area. Originally published in The Bulletin, 21 September 1916.

A Wet Camp. Originally published in The Bulletin, 21 July 1921.