Mulga Bill’s BicycleBy A. B. (“Banjo”) Paterson
Listen to the whole poem, one reading part at a time. What picture do the words help you make?Listen to each part. What picture do the words make?
Listen to the whole poem, one reading part at a time. What picture do the words help you make?Listen to each part. What picture do the words make?
DO Introduce the poem without explaining its outcome. Pupils may listen, join in or follow the complete source.
WORK Invite natural responses; no written task or thesis is required.
RECORD Notice questions and understanding; keep access mode distinct from independent reading.
FINISH Complete all ten first-reading parts before exploring devices.
CHECK The illustration is decorative bush framing, not a factual reconstruction of the poem’s route.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from , that caught the ;
He turned away the good old horse that him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new ;
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
Establish the purchase and the narrator’s description of appearance. Clothes are not evidence that Bill can cycle.
VOCABULARY
cycling craze — A fashion for riding bicycles that many people were excited about.
Eaglehawk — The Australian place named as Bill’s home; the poem does not give us every detail of its landscape.
resplendent — Splendid or impressive to look at.
machine — The bicycle; this word emphasises that it is a new piece of equipment.
served — Been useful or dependable to someone.
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of ,
The shop assistant said, 'Excuse me, can you ride?'
'See, here, young man,' said Mulga Bill, 'from to the sea,
From to , there's none can ride like me.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
Keep the assistant’s practical question distinct from Bill’s sweeping answer. Bill’s claim is not independently confirmed.
VOCABULARY
lordly pride — An air of superiority, as if someone expects special respect.
grinning — Smiling broadly; the poem does not explicitly tell us exactly why the assistant smiles.
Walgett — An Australian place in the wide area Bill names when boasting.
Conroy's Gap — Another place in Bill’s boast; the named places help his claim sound wide-ranging.
Castlereagh — A name associated with an Australian river and district; one of the places Bill names.
I'm good all round at everything, as everybody knows,
Although I'm not the one to talk — I a man that .
But riding is my , my , ;
Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a wild cat can it fight.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
Let pupils notice the contradiction between Bill’s statement about boasting and the speech they hear. His claimed skills are still claims.
VOCABULARY
blows — Boasts in this context; it does not mean moving air.
special gift — A particular talent someone believes they have.
chiefest — Most important; an old-fashioned word.
sole delight — The one pleasure Bill says matters most to him.
HATE — Strongly dislike; the capital letters give Bill’s statement extra emphasis.
There's nothing clothed in , or built of ,
There's nothing walks or jumps, or runs, on , , or wheel,
But what I'll sit, while hide will hold and and straps are tight:
I'll ride this here two-wheeled right straight away .'
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
Preserve the full four-line list as original verse, even when a long line wraps. The source does not show every named riding skill being tested.
VOCABULARY
hair or hide — Animal hair or skin; these words represent living creatures he claims he can ride.
flesh or steel — Living bodies or metal machines; another broad contrast in Bill’s boast.
axle — A rod on which a wheel turns.
hoof — The hard foot of an animal such as a horse.
girths — Straps that hold a saddle on an animal.
concern — A thing or contraption here: the bicycle.
at sight — Immediately, just by seeing it; Bill claims he needs no practice.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that sought his own ,
That above the Dead Man's Creek, beside the mountain road.
He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the ,
But he'd gone it clean away.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
The name Dead Man’s Creek suggests danger; it does not prove that Bill dies. Retain the original imperial quantity and explain the approximate metric gloss.
VOCABULARY
abode — Home.
perched — Positioned high up, as if sitting above the creek.
fray — A fight or contest; the phrase makes starting the ride sound like a challenge.
ere — Before; an old-fashioned word.
a dozen yards — Twelve yards in the original wording, approximately 11 metres.
bolted — Ran away suddenly, like an animal escaping control.
It left the , and through the trees, just like a ,
It down the , towards the Dead Man's Creek.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
This is the second half of original stanza 2, not another stanza. Read it with the preceding part before discussing its word choices.
VOCABULARY
silver streak — A long, quick flash of silver; this is a comparison for the moving bicycle.
whistled — Made or suggested a high rushing sound as it moved quickly.
awful slope — A frighteningly steep stretch of ground in this scene.
track — A path or rough route through the bush.
It a stump by , it dodged a big :
The very in fright went up the rocks,
The wombats hiding in their caves dug deeper underground,
As Mulga Bill, , sat tight to every .
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
The enlarged animal reactions belong to a comic poem rather than a scientific record. The simile refers to Bill’s appearance, not the colour of his bicycle.
VOCABULARY
shaved — Passed very close without hitting; it does not mean cutting hair here.
half an inch — A very small historical distance, approximately 13 millimetres.
white-box — A kind of eucalyptus tree.
wallaroos — Australian animals related to kangaroos.
scrambling — Moving quickly and awkwardly, often using feet or claws to climb.
as white as chalk — A comparison showing that Bill looks very pale.
bound — A leap or jolt in this context.
It struck a stone and gave a spring that a fallen tree,
It raced beside a ;
And then as Mulga Bill let out one last
It made a leap of into the Dead Man's Creek.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
Read the actual motion before discussing possible exaggeration. Do not turn the dangerous ride into an activity for pupils to copy.
VOCABULARY
precipice — A very steep rock face or drop.
despairing — Showing a loss of hope.
shriek — A loud, high cry.
twenty feet — The original historical distance, approximately 6 metres.
cleared — Passed over an obstacle without becoming caught on it.
as close as close could be — As near as it could possibly get; this repeated wording intensifies the danger.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam :
He said, 'I've had some and lively rides before;
I've rode a round a yard to win a ,
But this was the most awful ride that I've yet.
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
The narrator shows Bill swimming ashore; the earlier bull ride is Bill’s own claim. The repeated introduction recalls earlier parts of the poem.
VOCABULARY
ashore — From the water onto land.
narrer shaves — Narrow escapes, or times danger was only just avoided. Narrer is Bill’s dialect form of narrow.
wild bull — A bull that is untamed or dangerous; Bill claims he rode one.
five pound bet — A bet involving historical money. Pounds here are money, not weight.
encountered — Experienced or met.
I'll ; it's shaken all my
To feel it whistle through the air and and and .
It's in Dead Man's Creek, we'll leave it lying still;
A horse's back is good enough for Mulga Bill.'
DO Read all original lines in this reading part. Complete every first-reading part before the second reading begins.
WORK Invite an initial response about events, pictures or puzzling words before revealing a possible interpretation. No written response is required.
RECORD Notice understanding, vocabulary questions and useful evidence. Adult-read listening and supported discussion are not independent reading evidence.
FINISH Hide the drawer to reread at full width, then move to the next part. Reading parts are screen divisions, not new stanzas.
CHECK Keep Bill’s claims separate from narrated events. The ending states a decision, not a shown return to the horse or successful cycling practice.
The ending states a preference and decision. It does not show Bill remounting the horse, learning to cycle or becoming modest forever.
VOCABULARY
give that two-wheeled outlaw best — Admit defeat against this bicycle. Give best means concede; outlaw gives the machine the identity of a rebellious opponent.
nerve — Courage or confidence here.
plunge — Move or fall suddenly and forcefully.
buck — Jump and twist like a horse trying to throw a rider.
swerve — Change direction suddenly.
henceforth — From this time onwards.
safe at rest — No longer moving or causing trouble; Bill says this of the bicycle left in the creek.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new machine;
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Rhyme — The pairs craze/days and seen/machine give the opening a linked, story-like sound as the purchase is introduced.
Imagery — The fine clothes and shining machine make Bill’s impressive appearance easy to picture; they do not prove his ability.
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant said, 'Excuse me, can you ride?'
'See, here, young man,' said Mulga Bill, 'from Walgett to the sea,
From Conroy's Gap to Castlereagh, there's none can ride like me.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Rhyme — Pride/ride joins Bill’s proud appearance with a practical question about skill. Sea/me gives his answer a confident finish.
Alliteration — Conroy’s and Castlereagh repeat the opening /k/ sound as Bill names the wide area covered by his boast.
Imagery — Lordly pride gives Bill an air of superiority; the grinning assistant supplies a contrasting facial expression.
I'm good all round at everything, as everybody knows,
Although I'm not the one to talk — I HATE a man that blows.
But riding is my special gift, my chiefest, sole delight;
Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a wild cat can it fight.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Irony — Bill rejects boasting while making a sweeping boast, so readers can notice a contradiction he does not acknowledge.
Hyperbole — The claim of being good at everything enlarges Bill’s ability far beyond the particular question about cycling.
Rhyme — Knows/blows joins the big claim to the denial of boasting; delight/fight gives his claimed natural talent a neat sound pattern.
There's nothing clothed in hair or hide, or built of flesh or steel,
There's nothing walks or jumps, or runs, on axle, hoof, or wheel,
But what I'll sit, while hide will hold and girths and straps are tight:
I'll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight.'
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Repetition — Repeating There’s nothing piles up the kinds of things Bill says he can ride, making his claim seem unlimited.
Alliteration — Hide and hold repeat the opening /h/ sound as Bill talks confidently about staying mounted.
Hyperbole — The list reaches across animals and machines, exaggerating how much Bill claims he can control.
Rhyme — Steel/wheel links kinds of machine, while tight/sight gives Bill’s promise of immediate riding a firm finish.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that sought his own abode,
That perched above the Dead Man's Creek, beside the mountain road.
He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the fray,
But ere he'd gone a dozen yards it bolted clean away.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Rhyme — Abode/road locates the home journey; fray/away pairs Bill’s readiness with his sudden loss of control.
Imagery — The high home, creek and mountain road let readers picture a setting in which a downhill ride can become dangerous.
It left the track, and through the trees, just like a silver streak,
It whistled down the awful slope, towards the Dead Man's Creek.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Simile — The silver streak comparison makes the bicycle seem a brief, bright flash of speed through the trees.
Alliteration — Silver and streak repeat an opening /s/ sound, giving the speed image a close sound connection.
Sound imagery — Whistled suggests a high rushing sound as the bicycle speeds down the frightening slope.
Rhyme — Streak/Creek connects the fast motion to its dangerous destination.
It shaved a stump by half an inch, it dodged a big white-box:
The very wallaroos in fright went scrambling up the rocks,
The wombats hiding in their caves dug deeper underground,
As Mulga Bill, as white as chalk, sat tight to every bound.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Simile — Bill’s face is compared with chalk to make his frightened paleness visible.
Hyperbole — The wombats digging deeper exaggerate the surrounding alarm, making the ride feel larger than ordinary life.
Imagery — The close obstacle and scrambling wallaroos make the frantic movement visible around Bill.
It struck a stone and gave a spring that cleared a fallen tree,
It raced beside a precipice as close as close could be;
And then as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek
It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dead Man's Creek.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Alliteration — Struck and stone repeat the opening /st/ sounds at the moment of impact.
Rhyme — Tree/be holds the near misses together; shriek/Creek links Bill’s cry to the watery climax.
Imagery — The precipice, cry and leap make the danger vivid through position, sound and movement.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam ashore:
He said, 'I've had some narrer shaves and lively rides before;
I've rode a wild bull round a yard to win a five pound bet,
But this was the most awful ride that I've encountered yet.
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Alliteration — Slowly and swam repeat an opening /s/ sound in the much quieter movement after the frantic ride.
Repetition — The opening phrase returns from lines 1 and 17, but Bill is now swimming rather than confidently setting off.
Rhyme — Ashore/before moves into Bill’s spoken account; bet/yet connects the earlier exploit he claims with his judgement of this ride.
I'll give that two-wheeled outlaw best; it's shaken all my nerve
To feel it whistle through the air and plunge and buck and swerve.
It's safe at rest in Dead Man's Creek, we'll leave it lying still;
A horse's back is good enough henceforth for Mulga Bill.'
DO Reread this part of the poem. Invite pupils to find an example before revealing it.
WORK Choose one device and discuss how the highlighted words affect sound, imagery or meaning.
RECORD Notice pupils’ explanations and the words they use as evidence.
FINISH Clear the highlights and invite another example or explanation.
CHECK A revealed example is shared teaching, not an independent assessment. The same words can illustrate more than one device. Motives remain open to supported interpretation.
Metaphor — Bill calls the bicycle an outlaw, giving a machine the identity of a rebellious opponent and shifting some blame towards it.
Assonance — Plunge and buck share the stressed /uh/ vowel sound; the repeated sound joins the rough movements Bill remembers.
Rhyme — Nerve/swerve links lost confidence with uncontrolled motion. Still/Bill gives his decision to abandon the bicycle a neat ending.
What happened? What surprised you? Which words would you like to explore again?What happened? What surprised you? Which words will we revisit?
Return to a reading part whenever you want to check an idea against the poem.Go back to the poem to check an idea.
DO Invite discussion of events, surprises and interesting words; contribution is welcome, not compulsory.
WORK Return to exact source lines when checking an interpretation. Do not begin the essay studio as an extra compulsory task.
RECORD Note useful evidence and next teaching needs informally.
FINISH The separate joint-construction studio is available later, after the poem is understood.
CHECK Shared explanations and revealed devices are teaching resources, not unaided assessment evidence.
Select a slide to see accompanying pedagogical notes and teaching tips.