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The Goddess of Harkaway
by Penelope Swales This song was written for my yoga teacher, who became my friend. When I started going to her classes, I sort of got a glimpse that she was going through a rough time. But despite that she always had something good to give to her class. Continue reading
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Green April Morning
by Ailsa Mitchell A love song about growing with someone over the seasons and April in Melbourne. Composed in 2022. Lyrics Verse 1 Green April morning Cold autumn arriving She drops her bags and stands in my door Leaves in hair, fell to the floor And there is something so beautiful in how she lets Continue reading
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The First Inaugural Bounce
by Jeremiah Rose Composed in 2018. Lyrics Verse You rock my world! You’re a strong, determinated girl When you smile you’re so fierce, you’re like Daisy Pearce when she goes for the speccy When the siren calls I’m so high up I can barely see the ball And everybody looks so great Watch them play, Continue reading
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The Palmer’s Song
by Robert Hillman and Hannah Pelka-Caven (The Raglins) This is a re-imagining of traditional Australian ballad ‘The Old Palmer Song’. We found the original ballad in prominent Australian folk collectors Pat Edwards and Kate Baker’s book ‘The Gold and Glory Boys: Australian History in Song 2’. We took the song and composed some additional lyrics, and a Continue reading
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Choice of Company
by Robert Hillman and Hannah Pelka-Caven (The Raglins) A re-telling of the traditional ballad ‘Henry’s Downfall,’ which is a variant of the well-known transportation ballad ‘Van Diemen’s Land’. We found ‘Henry’s Downfall’ in the prominent Australian folk collector Ron Edwards’ The Big Book of Australian Folk Song. We took the story from the song but Continue reading
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Wynard Winch
by Allan Evans I composed this after a very memorable vehicle breakdown in Tasmania. Continue reading
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The Wombat Forest Waltz
by Claire Johnstone I wrote this tune amongst the tall trees and fresh air of the Wombat State Forest in Victoria. I was lonely, far from friends, and feeling a lot of eco-anxiety for the planet. I wrote this tune to cheer myself up and to celebrate the lovely land I was walking through. I’m Continue reading
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Woodford Nights
by Caity Brennan Written on a hot, humid day at Woodford Folk Festival after dancing to the East Pointers. Composed in 2015. Continue reading
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Where’s That Bus?
by Chris Fitzgerald Continue reading
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Welcome to the Club
by Mickey O’Donnell Composed in 2022. Continue reading
About Melbourne Tune collection
Melbourne Tune Collection records and publishes original folk tunes and songs from around Australia.
I started this project after realising that I barely knew any Australian folk tunes, even though I’ve been playing the fiddle for almost two decades. It wasn’t that Australians weren’t writing tunes, it’s just that there was limited publishing opportunities for them.
I thought maybe if I collect these tunes and put them together, they would have a better chance of getting played. So in early 2019 I set off with my camera and recorder, first around Melbourne, then across Australia.
This site is the result of these travels. Its purpose is to make Australian folk music as accessible as possible and promote the incredible music that’s being written today. I genuinely believe that there’s something special happening in the Melbourne and Australian folk music scenes right now.
I hope you enjoy playing through these tunes as much as I have!
Katherine Oleinikov
Melbourne Tune Collection 