This work investigates the evolution of the Australian landscape as a symbolic construct within the nation's literary tradition. Ross Gibson, a scholar of Australian culture, examines how colonial and post-colonial writers have projected shifting anxieties and ideals onto the physical environment. By analyzing a wide range of texts, the book argues that the perception of the Australian wilderness has transitioned from a perceived 'paradise' to a site of profound existential displacement.

This text serves as a foundational academic resource for those studying the intersection of geography and national identity in Australian letters. Its dense, scholarly approach provides a rigorous framework for understanding how literature has shaped the cultural imagination of the continent.