Is Banjo Paterson still famous as this day?

Answer 1

The best known Australian song of all time is Waltzing Matilda, attributed to Banjo Paterson written in 1895. The words may be very different now though. Banjo Paterson is Australia's most loved Bush Poet, but not at all well known outside Australia.

To answer the question, 'Banjo' Paterson is not as famous now as he was in his own time. He was intensely patriotic, and his bush ballads and short stories increased the sense of nationalism within Australia, giving impetus to the push for Federation of the states.

In modern times, many people are only aware Paterson wrote "Waltzing Matilda". Others know of "The Man from Snowy River", partly due to the 1980s movie of the same name that was loosely based on the Ballad. Very few are aware of such humorous ballads as Mulga Bill's Bicycle; or the quirky short story "The Loaded Dog"; or the pathos of "Lost"; or the hundreds of Paterson's other works. Works such as these were well known and recited by schoolchildren in the early 20th century.