Very few figures in Australian literature have became as widely known as the Man from Snowy River, whose daring ride down a near-vertical mountain slope continues to define national ideals of courage and determination.
When Banjo Paterson had first introduced him to the public in his 1890 poem, this unnamed horseman became one of the most celebrated symbols of Australian bush values.
Over time, his image gradually became part of the popular imagination and changed how Australians saw rural life and the frontier.
During the final decade of the 19th century, Paterson published The Man from Snowy River in The Bulletin on 26 April 1890.
The Bulletin was known for its nationalist slogan "Australia for the White Man", and was a leading literary magazine at the time, that often acted as a place for growing nationalist views.
Although the poem spanned approximately 480 words and consisted of 104 lines, it told a compelling story of a chase through the Snowy Mountains, where a mob of brumbies, which were wild horses descended from escaped or released stock, ran from the stockmen who attempted to recapture them.
When the main group of seasoned riders failed to follow the horses down a dangerous slope, a quiet young horseman from the high country, who had previously been dismissed by the others as inexperienced, rode after the herd and managed to bring them back.
The slope itself was likely inspired by terrain near Mount Kosciuszko or Tom Groggin Station, both of which were long associated with hazardous riding routes and mountain wilderness, though Paterson did not identify a specific location.
At the time of its publication, Australia had not yet federated. However, public opinion had begun to support federation and a shared national identity.
The poem appealed strongly to many audiences who sought local stories of independence through self-reliant action and rejection of class expectations because urban readers, many of whom had no direct experience of the bush, increasingly idealised the rural frontier.
The Man from Snowy River offered a clear alternative to British aristocratic models of heroism.
He generally relied on skill rather than title, and his bravery generally showed itself in action, not ceremony.
According to various accounts, Paterson likely based his hero on stories that he had encountered when he had travelled through rural New South Wales and Victoria.
In particular, locals pointed to Jack Riley (1841–1914), a private and illiterate station hand who worked near Corryong, as the likely inspiration for the man in the poem.
Many locally believed he had taken part in a dramatic ride that closely matched the one described in the poem because Riley had earned a solid reputation among high country communities for his skill with horses and detailed knowledge of the rough terrain near the Upper Murray River.
Paterson had never confirmed this, and the connection largely persisted in regional folklore.
Other names, such as Charlie McKeahnie and Owen Cummins, have also been suggested by historians and local storytellers, with limited evidence that supported McKeahnie's involvement in a similar ride during the 1880s.
These multiple claims reflect how the story gradually became a shared bush legend rather than resting on a single historical figure.
By the early years of the 20th century, the poem had entered published collections and was widely included in Australian poetry.
For example, it appeared in the 1909 Golden Treasury of Australian Verse and became regularly included in school readers across several states during the following decades.
As a result, it circulated widely and largely helped to form a literary tradition that valued endurance expressed as stoic conduct and modest behaviour.
Paterson’s language often combined a galloping rhythm with Australian expressions and described the environment in clear detail.
For example, he often named specific rivers, mountain ranges, and valleys that helped readers picture a real setting.
At the same time, the fact that the main character had no name allowed him to become a symbol rather than a single person.
That choice made the story more flexible as it could potentially belong to any rider who shared the same values.
Later events helped keep the story popular, particularly when in 1982 the poem was adapted into a feature film that was directed by George T. Miller.
The film, which starred Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, added a romantic subplot and expanded the narrative beyond the original chase.
Yet it kept the famous downhill ride as its central image. With wide aerial shots of Victoria’s mountain region and a memorable musical score by Bruce Rowland, the film visually captured the danger and skill required to pursue wild horses across rocky terrain.
Rowland’s score later featured in several international horse events, including the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The film became one of the top-earning Australian films of the decade and helped renew interest in the original poem, as its success led to a sequel in 1988 and a television series that ran during the 1990s.
In rural towns, especially in the Snowy Mountains region, celebrations of the Man’s story became a source of local pride.
Each year since 1995, Corryong has hosted The Man from Snowy River Bush Festival, which features equestrian contests, bush poetry recitals, and reenactments of the legendary ride.
The event typically draws between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors and includes local crafts, food, and music that celebrate high country culture.
Bronze sculptures and public murals across the region depict the moment when the rider whose reins were tight and whose posture was fixed charged down the incline alone, as such tributes reinforced the belief that the Man had once truly existed and rode among the people who now honoured him.
Over time, the story gradually moved from literary achievement to national myth.
It offered a version of Australian masculinity based on quiet resolve that showed practical ability and that rejected social hierarchy.
The Man from Snowy River proved his worth through riding where others would not, rather than by birth, wealth, or rank, which appealed to successive generations of Australians who valued action over appearance.
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