The Pioneering Shiralee

Abstract

In his introduction to the 2002 reprint of D’Arcy Niland’s book, "The Shiralee" (originally published in 1955), Les Murray comments that when the book was first issued the word shiralee had little currency in Australia and abroad, but at the same time it had appeal because it sounded ‘exotic or plausible’. A quick Internet search today reveals that not much has changed. The melodious shiralee has surprisingly few occurrences. This article examines the origins of the word 'shiralee'.