Herb Wharton
Herbert Morsley Wharton (1936 – May 2026) was an Indigenous Australian stockman turned writer. He began publishing poetry and yarn-like novels in his fifties, for which he is now recognised internationally.
Also recorded as Herbert Morsley Wharton
Herb Wharton
- Born
- 1936 · Cunnamulla.
- Died
- 2026
- Occupation
- poet
- Honours
- Member of the Order of Australia
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q5733241 · wikipedia · Herb Wharton
In this article
Life and career
Life and career
Herbert Morsley Wharton was born in Cunnamulla, Queensland in 1936. He was of the Murri people; his maternal grandmother was Kooma and both grandfathers Irish. Wharton and his work have been recognised in a number of ways. In 2012, Wharton received the 'Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature': a $50,000 award for eminent writers who have made outstanding and lifelong contributions to Australian literature. In 2013, Wharton was a recipient of the Queensland Greats Awards. In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wharton was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "significant service to the literary arts, to poetry, and to the Indigenous community". The Fryer Library houses the Herb Wharton manuscript collection which contains working and completed drafts of writings, poetry (published and unpublished), correspondence, diaries, speeches, taped video and audio interviews, and miscellaneous notes. Wharton died in May 2026.
Works
Works
Novels • Unbranded (UQP, 1992) • Yumba Days (UQP, 1999) Short stories • Cattle Camp: Murri Drovers and their Stories (UQP, 1994) • Where Ya Been Mate? (1996) Poetry • Kings With Empty Pockets (2003) Review • Imba (Listen): Tell You a Story (2003)
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Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Herb Wharton, revision 1354038671 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Herb Wharton. AustLit: Discover Australian Stories.
- 2.Australia Council. Profile: Herb Wharton.
- 3.Unique Indigenous story teller awarded. Australia Council for the Arts.
- 4.Queensland Government. 2013 Queensland Greats recipients.
- 5.Herbert Morsley Wharton.
- 6.Herb Wharton collection UQFL 212. University of Queensland Library, Fryer Library.
- 7.An ungraded bush track. Fryer Folios. 2. 1. 14–17. 2007.
- 8.Vale Herb Wharton AM 1936-2026
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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