THE NULLARBOR NYMPH IN PROCESS
As part of the requirements of the Master of Visual Arts degree at the University of South Australia August, 1993, I wrote a paper analysing the Nullarbor Nymph Hoax which occurred in the early 1970s. The dissertation proposes that the narrative is a fantasy and therefore can be opened up to the scrutiny of several psychoanalytic models. The Nullarbor Nymph functioned then, and may continue to function today on an archetypal level. Various meanings and implications of this idea are explored with reference to their value to both men and women. Notions of Australian national character are examined and it is suggested that the relationship of the Nullarbor Nymph to the land is an important issue. There is an investigation into the symbolic potential of the Nymph and proposals made about the way this potential might serve people today. This is an updated version of the dissertation. The language it uses is of necessity more academic than it might have been if writing for a broader cross section of the community. My desire to make these ideas known to people, however, has been to a large extent the motivation behind creating this website.
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Dora Dallwitz
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