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Listed under:  History  >  Social history
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For the Juniors: Celebrating a baby's baptism

Meet Vincent and his family and friends as they celebrate his baptism. Find out what happens when a baby is baptised in the Catholic church. Come along to Vincent's party afterwards for some fun, good food and an amazing christening cake.

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ABC News: Full-on Aussies

How do people celebrate Australia Day where you live? Watch how diverse groups of Melburnians spend Australia Day in 2013, and hear some people talk about why they chose to become Australian citizens.

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Chequerboard: First day jitters

What was the first day of school like for your parents? This clip shows a group of children arriving at school with their parents in 1974.

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Chequerboard: Twinkle, twinkle, little ducks

A class of children join in a singing lesson on their first day of school in 1974. Watch and see how school has changed, and stayed the same, over time.

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BTN: Eureka Stockade

The Battle of the Eureka Stockade was fought in Ballarat, Victoria between gold miners and Colonial forces in 1854. What were the miners rebelling against? Why is this event a significant point in Australia's history?

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Outback House: Aboriginal bush foods

Imagine leaving your home and travelling back over 150 years 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 an 1860s station. Witness the excitement as two visitors from the local Wiradjuri nation arrive at the ...

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For the Juniors: Cooking food in the past and present

How might your family cook without electricity or gas? See what some kitchens of people from long ago looked like. Discover ways that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people cook some food.

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For the Juniors: Visit a restored 19th-century cottage

Take a trip back in time to discover what some Australian homes looked like in the past. Visit an old miner's cottage that was built long ago. Explore the kitchen, the living room and the outdoor toilet. Imagine what your life would be like if you grew up in this home.

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Chequerboard: What's for lunch on the first day of school?

It's Shelley's first day of school and her mum shows her what's packed in her lunch box. Find out what school lunches looked like in 1974.

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Nexus: Controversy surrounding the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is considered the 'eighth wonder of the world'. Although recognised as a major landmark today, its construction was controversial. In 1966, the building's Danish designer and chief architect, Jorn Utzon, was forced to withdraw from his position. In this clip listen to Jorn Utzon and discover why he ...

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ABC National TV Service: Opening night, 1956

Can you imagine life before television? How different would it have been? This clip is taken from the opening moments of the first ABC television broadcast in 1956. As you watch it, see how the presenter describes the event and try to imagine the impact such first broadcasts would have had on Australians more than half ...

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Counted: Australian culture in the 1960s

What was Australia like in the 1960s? Why does reporter Stan Grant say that "change is coming" at this time, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Choose one of the people mentioned in this video and do some research into their sporting, artistic or political achievements.

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Journey into Japan: Japan's shoguns keep everyone in their places

What was the status of each social class in shogunate Japan? During the period from around 1600 to 1868, Japan was a feudal society. As in medieval Europe, each group had its place in a strict social order. Watch this clip to discover the roles of each group during the age when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled the country. This ...

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Designing the Sydney Opera House

What does it take to create a building that is famous the world over? In 1956, NSW Premier Joseph Cahill announced a competition for the design of an opera house for Sydney. The winner was architect Jorn Utzon with 'design 218'. In this 1950s clip, learn about Utzon's aims in designing the building, the challenges in realising ...

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Outback House: Land ownership laws

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 as a real station would have in the 1860s. Learn about changes in the law that would allow station ...

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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.

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Impact of European settlement on Aboriginal Tasmanians video

Aboriginal Tasmanians had inhabited Tasmania for over 40,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. What do you think life was like for Aboriginal Tasmanians before then? Why might have they embarked on a war, called the 'Black War', once settlers began arriving in Tasmania, despite existing relatively peacefully ...

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Weekend Magazine: A tour of the nation's capital

In the years following World War II, Australia sought to develop a new identity, one that honoured the past while embracing technological advances and increased political stability. As this clip shows, for many people during this period, Canberra - the nation's capital - served as a metaphor for the sort of place Australia ...

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The historical legacy of John Glover

English artist John Glover emigrated to Van Diemen's Land in 1831. He settled on a generous land grant called "Patterdale", near Deddington in northern Tasmania. Many of Glover’s artworks provide historical records of the people, plants and animals who lived in the area, as well as the changes wrought by European settlement.

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Four Corners: TV killed the radio star

Can you imagine a time when, instead of watching dramas at home on a screen, people listened to them on the radio - a time when the most popular of those dramas were made in Australia? This Four Corners program from 1964 examines the reasons for the death of Australian radio serials, the role played by television in their ...