Canowie was renowned for its hospitality toward swagmen which in around 1903 provided over 2,000 sundowners each year with their customary two meals and a bed.
During the early years of the 1900s, the introduction of the pension and the dole reduced the numbers of swagmen to those who preferred the free lifestyle.
Swagmen ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly.
The numbers of swagmen have declined over the 20th century, but still rising in times of economic depression.
