15 Aussie Anthems for your Next Road Trip

Last updated: 15 July 2023

Are you looking for some Aussie anthems for your next BBQ? Are you, like us, an Aussie expat living overseas and looking for some comfort through the classic sounds of home? If so, you’ve come to the right place because we’ve compiled a list of 15 of our favourite Aussie anthems on YouTube that you can work through via this post or directly through the playlist below.

The list is not exhaustive or in any particular order, they are just simply 15 of our favourite Aussie anthems that you might appreciate too, whether that’s for a mate’s birthday, a family barbecue, or if you’re just in need of some sounds from home. 

You might have realised by now that we come from the land down under.  Famed for deadly animals, sunny skies and concentrated yeast extract spread on toast. Most people have met an Aussie in their travels.  Often adopting a chilled out ‘she’ll be right, mate’ attitude and sporting a pair of rubber pluggers.  

To make it easy, we’ve created a playlist on YouTube, or use the links below.  

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1. I am Australian

Performed by The Seekers, I learnt the words to this song in primary school.  The lyrics are full of cultural references like diggers, Ned Kelly, Matilda and bushies. Ultimately, this country music promotes diversity and tolerance, after all I am, You are, We are Australian.  

2. Sounds of Then (This is Australia)

You’re only got to watch Australian TV to hear this song.  Although it wasn’t popular when released in the 80s, it became a hit once it was used for TV promotional and commercial adverts.

3. Waltzing Matilda

Arguably Australia’s other national anthem.  This bush ballad was written by Banjo Paterson in 1895.  

4. I Still Call Australia Home

One of the most iconic Australian songs ever released, it makes any expat twinge with homesickness and send goose-bumps up the back of your arm. Originally released by Peter Allen in 1980, it became the tune for the national carrier, Qantas’ advertising campaigns.

5. Down Under 

I never realised how international this tune was until it was blasted through the sound system at an Australian/British wedding.

This upbeat patriotic tune topped charts around the world in the 1980s. The tongue in cheek video clip follows a globetrotting Aussie interacting with people in his travels.  It was played at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

It’s ranked number 4 on the APRA’s Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001.

6. True Blue 

Released in 1981, this Australian slow-paced folk song is chock-a-block full of Aussie slang and hidden meanings about mateship and the Australian way of life.

7. Great Southern Land 

Describing the spirituality, the vast emptiness of the Nullarbor and the heat that radiates off the red dirt in the outback, Great Southern Land is an enduring classic.  

See also: We talk to Amateur Traveler podcast on Sydney

8. Throw Your Arms Around Me 

This much-loved track has been covered by so many bands it’s hard to remember who started it all.  Epic Aussie bands like Crowded House did a superb job but one can’t pass up the original.  

9. The Working Class Man

Jimmy Barnes’ power ballad Working Class Man hit the charts in 1985.  It’s about as Aussie as you’ll get focusing on the hard working, blue collar mindset that is the backbone of Australian culture.

10. Better Be Home Soon 

This successful Australian/NZ group formed in the 1980s. They’ve had many notable hits and are considered a major contributor to Australia’s music culture. Their hit “Better Be Home Soon” was performed on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in their 1996 Farewell to the World concert to a staggering crowd of more than 100,000.

11. You’re The Voice 

Highly ranked on any karaoke playlist, Johnny Farnham has had more comebacks than any other Australian artist and is one of the country’s biggest musical successes. This single was awarded Single of the Year in 1987 and is a regular feature in Australia Day festivities around the world.  Despite many covers, no one does it as well as John Farnham.

12. What’s My Scene 

This upbeat pop song has made many appearances in TV since it’s release in 1987. Most recently it’s noted as the modern anthem to the National Rugby League.

13. Thunderstruck

AC/DC are a heavy-rock band who have proved themselves a powerhouse of Australian rock.   Thunderstruck is regularly played in pubs, at sporting matches around the country, proving it to be the perfect soundtrack to some fantastic all-Aussie past-times.

14. Treaty 

A song by Yothu Yindi,  which is made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members. It was the first song by a predominantly-Aboriginal band to chart in Australia and the first song in any Aboriginal Australian language. In 2001, it was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

15. Khe Sanh

No Aussie chart list could exist without Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh. The song is about a Vietnam veteran attempting to return to civilian life after returning from war.  Cold Chisel are an Aussie institution and this song is arguably their most iconic. No live music sing-along would be complete without Khe Sanh.  

Did we include or miss your favourite?

Tell us in the comments below…

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