Complete book of Australian folk lore. Bill Scott. 1978.

For such a young country, Australia has a strongly developed and unique folklore heritage. With its origins in an amalgam of the more rebellious elements of British society, the Australian character quickly developed traits that were more than a mere sum of its antecedent parts. Ties with England, Scotland, Ireland and America flavoured the development of much of our folk material: the tunes of our folk songs are those the early settlers (both convict and free) brought with them from the old countries, and many of these can also be found  in North America; the words are very much our own. The tall story (the bush lie) is perhaps the most distinctively Australian form - and is still flourishing. Rhyme and rhythm are great aids to memory. So in a society that was largely illiterate, verse was a popular form, and the poems and ballads have a drive and simple directness.