Judith Wright – At Cooloolah
Judith Wright, one of Australia’s most important poets, combines environmental awareness with strong social and moral concerns. Her poem At Cooloolah (also known as “The Spirit of the River”) reflects on Australian landscape, Aboriginal history, colonial guilt, fear, and the struggle for belonging.
Summary of the Poem
The poem describes the beautiful, wild region of Cooloolah, located in Queensland, Australia. Judith Wright admires the:
- dense forests
- bright water
- colourful landscapes
- ancient land shaped by nature and Aboriginal presence
However, beneath this natural beauty lies a deep moral tension. The poet feels a powerful unease in the landscape — a sense that the land remembers the violence of colonisation.
Wright imagines the ghostly presence of Aboriginal warriors who once fought and died there. She feels that the land still belongs to them and is haunted by their spirit.
The European settlers (including the poet’s ancestors) may live on the land, but cannot truly claim it. There is an invisible barrier—a sense that the land resists possession.
She acknowledges that white Australians tried to conquer the Aboriginal people with guns, violence and dominance. But the land still carries the memory of injustice.
The poem ends with Wright accepting that she can admire the land, live on it, and dream about it— but she can never fully belong to it. True belonging belongs to the ancient people of the land.
Major Themes
- Colonial Guilt – The poet feels responsible for the historical violence done to Aboriginal people.
- Land & Belonging – True ownership of land lies with the original inhabitants.
- Aboriginal History – The land itself keeps memory of Indigenous suffering.
- Nature’s Power – The land is vast, wild, unpossessable.
- Fear & Unease – The poet senses judgement from the spirits of the land.
- Identity – White Australians struggle to feel at home in a land shaped by ancient cultures.
Symbols & Imagery
- Cooloolah landscape – beautiful yet morally heavy.
- Aboriginal warriors / ghosts – memory of dispossession and resistance.
- The river – timelessness, history’s flow.
- Gun / conquest – violence of colonisation.
- Dream / belonging – desire for connection that remains unfulfilled.
Literary Devices
- Imagery – rich descriptions of the landscape.
- Symbolism – land represents deep spiritual history.
- Contrast – beauty of nature vs. pain of history.
- Allusion – references to Aboriginal past.
- Irony – poet is born in Australia but cannot fully belong.
Critical Analysis
- Judith Wright confronts Australia’s colonial past honestly and sensitively.
- The poem blends environmental appreciation with moral responsibility.
- Wright suggests that history cannot be erased; land carries memory.
- It highlights the spiritual connection Indigenous people have with the land.
- The poem critiques the idea of white ownership over ancient landscapes.
Quick Revision Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Poet | Judith Wright |
| Poem | At Cooloolah |
| Setting | Cooloolah region, Queensland, Australia |
| Central Theme | Colonial guilt, belonging, Aboriginal history |
| Symbol | Landscape as cultural memory |
| Tone | Reflective, uneasy, thoughtful |
| Message | The land belongs spiritually to its first people; history shapes identity. |
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