The swinging of this great globe is bringing us nearer to tomorrow's dawn. When its sunlight silvers the vast panorama of this continent and the richly jewelled islands that lie within its seas, it shall shine upon a territory which by the act you will then perform, and the solemn compact into which you will then enter, will be bound once and for ever in a united Commonwealth, an indissoluble union, everlasting and strong - into an Australia, one and indivisible. - Deakin speaking to the people of Victoria on the eve of the second federation referendum, The Age, 27 July 1899.

A mysterious continent in the South Seas. A place of scientific curiosity and
discovery. A gaol. A little Albion in the South Pacific. A place where you
could forget Europe and start again. The Lucky Country. A Sheltered Land. A
vast empty space, terra nullius. The Never Never.

How does Australia imagine itself? And how have we changed the way we imagine
ourselves as Australians in the years since 1901? This session looks at the
myths and stories and archetypes that shape our identity as Australians and
engage the country in a national conversation.

Speakers: Rodney Hall
"Being Shaped by the Stories We Choose From Our Country"   [Transcript]

Twice winner of the Miles Franklin Award, Rodney Hall has also been nominated three times for the Booker Prize. His latest novel is called The Day We Had Hitler Home. More...

Dr John Carroll
"The Blessed Country: Australian Dreaming 1901-2001"   [Transcript]

John Carroll has written a number of influential books on Western culture. He’s a Reader in Sociology at La Trobe University, and he holds degrees in mathematics, economics and sociology from the Universities of Melbourne and Cambridge. He asks how has Australia since 1901 gone about imaging itself – as a people, engaging a country. Putting down roots – in its new society far from Europe? More...