A Long Way South Of Near Clara Poem by Francis Duggan

A long way south of Near Clara Mountain where i grew to a man from a boy
In this great far southern Country i have lived in Ballarat and Clifton Hill in Fitzroy
And in Mt Evelyn not far from Healesville where at dawn the kookaburra laugh and the currawong call as they fly
And in Belgrave in the Yarra Ranges where the tall gums seem to touch the sky
I have ventured far south of Claraghatlea and the high green fields of Claramore
And i've lived for awhile in South Gippsland in Wonthaggi close to the sea shore
I may have little to show for my travels and many others have seen more than me
But i feel happy in my existence in the home of the magpie and pee wee
I have lived in Penshurst in the Southern Grampians in a rented and very old house
In the stony volcanic country in view of historic Mt Rouse
And i've lived in Warrnambool City not far from where the Merri and saltwater meet
In a basement flat of a historic old building at the top end of Kepler Street
And now i live in Koroit in the Moyne Shire though here i may not live my last day
Far south of the hill known as Clara and old fields i knew far away.