Another acquisition, from the north edge of Victoria: Chinese in Echuca-Moama: A Chronicle 1850's to 1930 [sic] by one Carol Holsworth for the Echuca Historical Society. My copy is signed!

I'm up to 1882; my eyes keep glazing over at the lengthy reports on tariffs and market gardens, but I remain awake thanks to the ongoing adventures of Isabella Ah Kew, an alcoholic white woman who keeps getting arrested and sent to "gaol" for drunkenly abusing a series of Chinese husbands.

Holsworth also includes a copy of an April 1915 article in the Riverine Herald entitled "'Tipperary' in Chinese: 'It's a long, long way to Ti-Po-Lieh-Li'". The lyrics in hanzi (courtesy of "Mr. Ack Goon") and backtranslation are as follows:

是個遠路到地波列里
必要多日行走
是個遠路到地波列里
要見我愛之女
再會必各地里
再見壘司規兒
是個遠路到地波列里
但我心在那兒

This road is far from Ti-po-lieh-li [地波列里],
 We must walk for many days.
This road is far from Ti-po-lieh-li,
 I want to see my lovely girl.
To meet again Pi-ko-ti-li [必各地里],
To see again Lei-ssu Kwei-rh [壘司規兒].
This road is far from Ti-po-lieh-li,
But my heart is already in that place.

(I must confess that I am not confident about 個 there but I'm not sure what else the character as written could be. 回? 伺? The actual character is written like 何 with an extra line below the central square.)

Seems that this translation was doing the rounds in 1915. Even the NY Times has a (poorly) romanized version:

Shigh ko yuan lu tao Ti-po-lieh-li,
 Pi yao ti jih hsing tsou.
Shih ko yuan lu tao Ti-po-lieh-li,
 Yao chien we ngai tzu nu,
Tsai hui Pi-ko-ti-li,
Tsai chien Lei-ssu Kwei-rh,
Shih ko yuan lu tao Ti-po-lieh-li,
Tan wo hsin tsai na-rh.