 Australian literature grew slowly in the decades following European settlement though Indigenous oral traditions , many of which have since been recorded in writing , are much older . 19th @-@ century writers such as Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson captured the experience of the bush using a distinctive Australian vocabulary . Their works are still very popular ; Paterson 's bush poem " Waltzing Matilda " ( 1895 ) is regarded as Australia 's unofficial national anthem . Miles Franklin is the namesake of Australia 's most prestigious literary prize , awarded annually to the best novel about Australian life . Its first recipient , Patrick White , went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973 . Australian winners of the Booker Prize include Peter Carey , Thomas Keneally and Richard Flanagan . Author David Malouf , playwright David Williamson and poet Les Murray are also renowned literary figures . 
