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Listed under:  History  >  Historical inquiry
Video

What is a meat safe?

Before fridges were invented, people used meat safes to keep their food cool. But what is a meat safe? Watch this clip to find out! What was the meat safe made out of? How was it designed to keep bugs out? And how did the meat safe actually keep food cool? Think about the way we keep food cool today. How do the fridges ...

Video

An olden day toilet

In the olden days, there were no toilets inside the house. Why do you think that was? Instead there was a "potty" for the children and a commode chair for the parents. Would you be brave enough to help empty the potty in the morning? How did people in the olden days wash their hands if there was no tap? Buckingham House ...

Video

Thinkabout, Talkabout: Rations and coupon shopping

Discover what it was like to go shopping in Australia during World War II. See how people in the 1940s had to live with restrictions on how much they could buy (rationing). Find out how rationing was an attempt to make the distribution of necessary goods, such as food and clothing, equal for everybody.

Video

Four Corners: Women 'rattle the chains' in public bars

Imagine a time in the not too distant past when Australian women were not allowed to drink in public bars. Such gender discrimination was still enforced by law in Queensland in the 1960s. This clip from 1965 reports on an incident in which Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner defied the law by chaining themselves to a public ...

Video

ABC Open: Veterans reflect on the meaning of Anzac Day

What does Anzac Day mean to you? For some older Australians, Anzac Day recognises loyalty to the British Empire. To others it is a time to remember sacrifice and to take pride in Australian character. Watch this clip to discover what Anzac Day means to a number of veterans in the 21st century.

Video

ABC News: Public reactions to sending troops to Vietnam War

Do you think Australian governments have always acted wisely when deciding to send young Australians to wars? Does the public usually know enough to support such decisions? On 29 April 1965, Australia's prime minister, Robert Menzies, announced the decision to send Australian troops to fight in Vietnam. In this clip, filmed ...

Audio

Townsville air raid, 1942

Australia has never been invaded. Nevertheless, isolated attacks on Australian soil have killed and injured hundreds of people, destroyed property, and made many people fearful of a large-scale invasion. In July 1942, Japanese aircraft attacked Townsville, Queensland, bombing the wharf and the surrounding area. This audio ...

Video

Ironing clothes in the olden days

How do your parents get all the wrinkles out of your clothes? Do you sometimes see your parents using an iron? In the olden days there was no electricity, so the iron had to be heated up on a fire. In this video, Buckingham House volunteer Jeannie Green shows us some old-fashioned irons and explains how people used them. ...

Video

BTN: Nuclear tests at Maralinga

Can you imagine nuclear bombs being exploded in Australia, over your home? Between 1953 and 1963, the Australian Government led by Robert Menzies allowed Britain to test nuclear bombs in the open air at sites in Australia. These sites included Maralinga in South Australia. It was the land of the Maralinga Tjarutja people ...

Video

Somewhere to Live: Suburban sprawl reaches Doncaster East, 1960s

In the 1950s and 60s, suburbs like Doncaster East arose to meet the changing needs of Australian citizens and the government. A 'baby boom' and increased immigration contributed to the expansion of Australian cities as more and more people sought to create their own 'Australian Dream' on a quarter-acre suburban block. Architect ...

Video

Rewind: What is 'living history'?

In 2004, a re-enactment of the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill was carried out on site to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the battle. The activity, which involved accurate use of costumes, equipment and other props from the era of the battle, is called 'living history'. According to this video, what are some of the ...

Video

Outback House: Working on the station

Imagine leaving your home to take part in a reality TV show about life on Oxley Downs, a sheep station built to look and work as a real station would have in the 1860s. Join the Allcourt children who did this, as they spend their first day of learning with the new governess. Discover how well the sheep wash, built by the ...

Video

Outback House: School newspaper

Imagine leaving your home to travel back to a time over 150 years ago, to live and work on an outback farm. Sixteen Australians take part in a reality TV show about life on Oxley Downs, a sheep station built to look and work like a real station of the 1860s. Discover how a colonial squatter's children did their schoolwork. ...

Video

GTK: Germaine Greer on rock culture, 1971

Does music have the power to change the world? From the 1950s rock 'n' roll to later popular music of the 60s and 70s, music encouraged teenagers to rebel against the ideas and beliefs of earlier generations and, in some instances, to change society for the better. In this clip, explore some of these changes from the perspective ...

Video

Weekend Magazine: The Stomp, a 1960s dance craze

Imagine a dance so simple it could be learnt in minutes and so popular it became a craze. This clip from a Weekend Magazine program screened in 1963 looks at such a dance. It was called the Stomp and it was pounded out in surf clubs and council halls around Australia's coast. Watch and listen as teenagers express their ...

Interactive

Invictus Games Sydney 2018 – HSIE/English Stage 5 – Veteran wellbeing

This Stage 5 HSIE/English resource examines Australia’s roles in war, including their involvement in WWI and WWII and highlights Australia’s role in the global context during the twentieth century. Students will examine the historical context of the wars and the perceptions that existed during the twentieth century regarding ...

Interactive

Different views

This resource will encourage students to develop their understanding of the first contact of the Aboriginal people of Kamay Botany Bay and the men aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This resource is one part of the 'Endeavour – eight days in Kamay' resource.

Online

Holidays, past and present

This three- part activity compares similarities and differences between family holidays of the past with the present. Students view the Allen family's photo album (1899 - 1900) and compare them with holidays they have experienced.

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 ...

Interactive

Site study – Ypres Salient

This resource is a digital site study of the Ypres Salient, using videos made with modern footage of Ypres and contemporary footage and images from the First World War. Each video has before, after and extension activities designed to meet the Stage 5 History: Core Study – Depth Study 3 outcomes around the scope and nature ...