The Nullarbor Links Golf Course is an 18 hole course spread over 1,365 kilometres with one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway. Some holes are set up specifically for the course, others are a nominated hole at an established golf course.
Hole 7 of the Nullarbor Links Golf Course (or hole 12 in reverse) is at Eucla, the first hole in Western Australia (or the last if you are going in reverse). It is a 315m Par 4 hole through scrub. The tee is found near the Eucla Golf Course Clubhouse.
Most of the holes are close to or next to the Eyre Highway. The Eucla Golf Course is a little further, around 5km from the highway.
The name of Nullarbor Nymph comes from a story created by a travelling public relations person on his way east looking for work. He couldn’t afford the cost of the motel room, so he offered the owner to create a story to publicise Eucla.
The story began on Boxing Day in 1971, claiming a naked blond white woman was among the kangaroos. The story spread and journalists and news crews came to the small town of Eucla, population of 8, from Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, and the US. In 1972, the naked “Nymph of Nullarbor” was in Time magazine and the BBC sent a full TV documentary crew.
The locals were in on the hoax, feeding the story. Suspicion was somewhat subdued with photographs and video providing evidence, showing her wearing Kangaroo skins. A journalist didn’t buy the hoax and with the sweetening of Scotch, coaxed the hoax from a local, Laurie Scott. The Sunday Mail’s front page was titled “Nullarbor Nymph a Hoax”.
The photograph turned out to be Geneice Brooker, the partner of Laurie Scott. The video footage was a 17-year-old model named Janice Beeby.
The Tee is devoted to Steve Patupis, the owner of the Eucla Motel when the Nullarbor Nymph story occurred. Steve discovered Eucla in the 1960s, while driving a truck across the Nullarbor. With a dream of building a modern motel and visitors facilities at Eucla, he started in March 1967 and it was open for business by the end of the year.
Next: Hole 8 – Watering Hole
Next Reverse: Hole 6 – Border Kangaroo