Search results

Listed under:  History  >  Historical inquiry  >  Historical sources
Video

Stateline TAS: Aunty Ida West: Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, 1995

Imagine being told not to speak your own language to your family and friends. Even worse, imagine being told that your whole culture had vanished, when you know it has not. These challenges were faced by Aboriginal people in the 20th century. In this clip, discover how Aunty Ida West's background and life experiences forged ...

Video

Nexus: Eora: mapping Aboriginal Sydney, 1770-1850

Why are artworks viewed as important sources of historical information? In this clip, you will see a range of artworks created about and by the Eora people, the original inhabitants of Port Jackson (site of today's Sydney Harbour). These artworks were part of a State Library of NSW exhibition in 2006, which was designed ...

Video

Journey into Japan: The end of Japan's isolation

Under the shoguns, Japan was deliberately isolated from the outside world from around 1600 CE. However, by the mid-19th century, Western imperialism was entering a new phase of expansion that no Asian state was able to resist. Discover what happened when the West came beating on the doors of a closed society. This clip ...

Video

Journey into Japan: Tragic consequences of Japan's modernisation

Japan went through a remarkable transformation between 1868 and the death of the Emperor Meiji in 1912. But Japan's modernisation was accompanied by its rise as an imperialist power, with tragic results. Watch this clip to learn about the consequences of Japan's dream of empire. This clip is last in a series of six.

Video

The convict voyages

What do you think it was like for convicts on their voyage from England to Australia? Would you be surprised to discover that their life expectancy on board a convict vessel was actually higher than that of free settlers? Watch this video to discover why this might be, and learn about the convicts themselves.

Video

ABC 7.30: Chinese ANZACs

When World War I broke out in 1914, the 'White Australia Policy' had been in place for 13 years. Despite this attempt at exclusion, many Chinese Australians chose to enlist and fight the war with their fellow countrymen. Do you think you would have done the same? Why/why not? Watch this video to find out more about the ...

Video

ABC Open: World War I: The dead man's penny

Imagine the feelings of a family when they learn of the death of a son during World War I. How might they react to receiving a giant penny for a life sacrificed? This ABC Open program explores the role of the 'dead man's penny', the token given by the British government to many families of British and Commonwealth troops ...

Video

Journey into Japan: Tokugawa shogunate is overthrown

How did Japan's Tokugawa shogunate come to an end? The entry of the US fleet into Tokyo Bay in 1853 and the events that followed exposed the shogunate's policy of isolation as a potential threat to the country. Western influence, and Japan's response to it, would have an enormous impact on the country's future. This clip ...

Video

World’s first bakers?

When did humans begin grinding seeds to make flour? Many people believe bread-making began in Egypt or Mesopotamia as long as 17,000 years ago. Archaeologists have recently found evidence that Indigenous Australians were producing flour 65,000 years ago. Were they the world’s first bakers?

Video

Gold rush

Walk through the streets of 1850s Ballarat at Sovereign Hill and learn about how the discovery of gold shaped the development of this region. What were the three distinct but overlapping eras of gold mining in Ballarat? How do staff at Sovereign Hill know what life was like for people during this time? Find out how the ...

Video

ABC Open: Australians recognise past sacrifices on Anzac Day

Share the memories of Australian war veterans and discover their thoughts about Anzac Day's significance. In this clip, veterans living on Queensland's Gold Coast express their ideas and feelings about what Anzac Day means to them.

Video

The Snowy Mountains Scheme

How did the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme come to be Australia's greatest economic achievement in the decades following World War II? In this clip, discover what Australia hoped to accomplish through the scheme, and some of the sacrifices that were made for it. Also learn what life was like for migrants from war-devastated ...

Video

Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub: Australian disasters

This is a curated collection of articles, photographs and internet links related to natural, technological and human-caused events including bushfires, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, shipwrecks, urban fires, chemical and industrial events in Australia. Events included have posed a serious threat to a community or property ...

Video

Belonging

In this resource Thomas Keneally addresses the issues of belonging and of marginalised peoples.

Video

The research process

In this resource Thomas Keneally reveals the sources he used to uncover the details about early life in Australia.

Video

The use of images

In this resource Thomas Keneally reveals his reasons for choosing the images in 'Australians: Origins to Eureka'.

Video

Understanding the past

In this resource Thomas Keneally addresses the importance of understanding Australia’s past with particular emphasis on Australia’s strong tradition of democratic action and democratic institutions.

Video

The significance of Bennelong Point

In this resource Thomas Keneally speaks about the significance of Bennelong Point and the relationship between Governor Phillip and Bennelong. Learncast video.

Video

Face2Face: Thomas Keneally

This resource is an interview with Thomas Keneally on his book, 'Australians: Origins to Eureka'.

Video

The history in the journey

In this resource Thomas Keneally speaks about telling the history of Australia using the journeys of people who lived it.