Scrub: Longlisted Poetry & Short Stories from the 2025 High Country Words Competition

Sit back with a cuppa and enjoy these short stories, poems and bush poems inspired by the theme of 'scrub' in the inaugural High Country Words writing competition.

With characters tearing through the Australian bush, scrubbing boats, or hiding scrubby souls, these pieces alternately deliver laughter, tears, or the desire to sit back and reflect on a special moment. Whether you meander through the scrub or race to the end, the journey will be its own reward.