''The Shiralee'' is a 1987 Australian television film directed by George Ogilvie, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by

D'Arcy Niland D'Arcy Francis Niland (20 October 191729 March 1967) was an Australian farm labourer, novelist and short story writer. In 1955 he wrote '' The Shiralee'', which gained international recognition in its depictions of the experiences of a swagman a ...

. It was originally filmed as a mini series and was shot in Adelaide and Quorn, South Australia.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p234

Plot

The plot revolves around an itinerant rural worker and fighter — sometimes described as a "

swagman A swagman (also called a swaggie, sundowner or tussocker) was a transient labourer who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying his belongings in a swag. The term originated in Australia in the 19th century and was later used in New Zealan ...

" or "swaggie" — named Macauley (

Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include ''Breaker Morant'' (1980), ' ...

) who unexpectedly finds himself taking responsibility for his child. The film contrasts the harshness of Australian masculinity with a parent-child relationship. A loner formerly from the city, Macauley finds himself in a small country town where he falls for the local butcher's daughter, Lily (

Noni Hazlehurst Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst , (born 17 August 1953) is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series and made for television films, as well also on stag ...

). Their romance is thwarted, however, by a jealous rival and after a misunderstanding Macauley finds himself back on the road and later working as a boxer in a travelling carnival. During a stopover in the old town, Macauley hopes to meet up again with Lily, only to find her married. Devastated, he turns to a fellow carnival-worker, Marge, and promises to marry her and move to the city, much to the concern of his friends who can see he doesn't love her and that the relationship is set to fail. Years later, Macauley has left his wife and young daughter to work on the road, sending money home. When Macauley has one of his infrequent visits to Marge, he finds her living with another man, Donny. He beats Donny up, grabs his five-year-old daughter Buster (

Rebecca Smart Rebecca Elizabeth Smart (born 30 January 1976) is an Australian actress, who began acting for television at the age of eight. Her first movie role was one year later in ''The Coca-Cola Kid''. She played the lead in the 1988 film '' Celia'' and ...

), and returns to the road. They walk from job to job in rural South Australia, camping beside riverbanks. While looking for work, finding it difficult with a child in tow, Macauley meets up again with Lily who reveals her husband has died in an accident and her father is gravely ill, leaving her to run their farm. Macauley visits with Lily's dying father, who reveals that Lily was never the same after Macauley left all those years ago. Lily offers Macauley a job and they later share a passionate moment, revealing they still have feelings for each other, but pride pushes them apart. Buster falls ill, with Lily and Macauley arguing about how to take care of her. When Buster recovers, they take to the road again and Macauley starts to take pride in his daughter's strength and resilience. Macauley takes Buster to the next town where he is welcomed by old friends Bella and Luke Sweeney. He tries to get the child to stay with the kindly couple, believing they can offer her a better life than he can, but she refuses and Macauley reluctantly accepts they belong together. In Quorn, Marge tracks them down and tries unsuccessfully to take back Buster. Later, Buster is hit by a car. As she battles for her life in hospital, Macauley must dash to Adelaide to oppose his wife's court bid for custody of the child as he admits he wants to keep her. Lily has arrived at the hospital and promises to stay with Buster. He beats the case by threatening to expose his ex's relationship with Donny; Donny forces Marge to choose between him or the child, who it emerges she never had any intention of caring for. She was seeking custody only to spite Macauley and planned to put her in a home. Macauley returns to the hospital by train, arriving shortly before Buster opens her eyes, and when they see each other the love between the two is evident. The film ends there, but there is an implication that there may finally be a chance for Macauley and Lily.

Miniseries

The 103 minute film was released in Australia as a two episode television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, 188 minutes in length. The miniseries rated 40 points and was the most popular Australian show of 1988. Both the film and miniseries are available on streaming services.

Cast

as Macauley *

as Lily *

as Buster *

Lorna Lesley Lorna Lesley (born 1959, in Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison wit ...

as Marge * Simon Chilvers as Thaddeus * Julie Hamilton as Bella Sweeney *

Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Biography Evans started drama while ...

as Luke Sweeney * William Zappa as Donny *

Ray Meagher Raymond Francis Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewa ...

as Polkadot

Reception

The miniseries won the Best Miniseries accolade at the 1988

Penguin Awards The Penguin Award is an annual award given for excellence in broadcasting by the Television Society of Australia. It was founded in 1954. The award trophy depicts an ear listening to a television tube, but strongly resembles a penguin, hence the ...

References

External links

*
The Shiralee at the National Film and Sound Archive''The Shiralee''
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...