Close message Due to maintenance between 17:00 to 19:00 on Thursday 30th May 2024, Scootle website may face disruption in service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Search results

Listed under:  History  >  Historical inquiry  >  Historical sources
Online

The gold rush

This collection of 5 activities explores life on the NSW and Victorian goldfields in the 1850's. Using primary sources from the State Library of NSW's collection (diaries, artwork and a satirical cartoon), students investigate the everyday activities of the gold sush. Read an eyewitness account of the first gold escort ...

Online

Greenway and Macquarie

This learning activity consists of 3 tasks examining the work of Francis Greenway, appointed Colonial Architect by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Students analyse visual sources to access the impact made by the Macquarie – Greenway partnership on the development of the colony of Sydney in the early nineteenth century. Included ...

Text

The Australian Colonies: Gold

This inquiry-based unit presents students with a range of visual primary sources to spark curiosity about life in the 1800s. Each activity introduces a new concept related to the Australian Gold Rushes.

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

Indigenous Stories about War and Invasion

This is a website about Indigenous experiences of invasion and war during the British invasion, World War I and World War II. The resource is presented in three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are eight story objects that tell the stories of individuals, events and ...

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

Four Corners: Before the Referendum: Margaret Valadian speaks up

Imagine being asked to speak on behalf of your culture. Explore and compare some of the attitudes of and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 1967. In the national referendum of that year, 90 per cent of Australian voters agreed that the affairs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be ...

Video

The Fall of Singapore: Australians defend Singapore, January 1942

Discover the experiences of Australians who fought a desperate campaign in Malaya at the beginning of 1942, trying to hold back the Japanese army as it advanced toward 'fortress Singapore'. Watch as this video uses original film footage and interviews with veterans to explore the successes and failures of the Malayan campaign ...

Video

Four Corners: Home sweet home: the 'Australian Dream', 1968

Would you rather live in a freestanding house on a large block in an outer suburb or in an apartment with the convenience of being closer to the city centre? This clip from a 1968 Four Corners program explores the 'Australian Dream' of home ownership and attempts to discover why it became so important to the post-World ...

Video

Four Corners: Do women's rights threaten men's domains?

Explore the attitudes of Australian men towards the rights of Australian women in the 1960s. Could women's rights threaten those of men's or were such fears typical of gender discrimination? This clip from 1965 investigates the reactions of Queensland men to the suggestion that women should be allowed to drink in public ...

Video

Archaeology unearths a mass-murder site

Discover a historic site that could reveal new evidence of the first recorded mass murder on Australian soil. The site is Beacon Island, a small island off the coast of Western Australia near present-day Geraldton. In this clip, reporter Mark Bennett visits the island with two members of a 1963 expedition that first investigated ...

Video

Untold Stories, Ep 14: Who was the first Anzac to step ashore the beaches of Gallipoli?

Since 1915, there has been debate over who was the first Australian soldier to step ashore at Gallipoli. The people of Maryborough, Queensland, claim it was Lieutenant Duncan Chapman. What evidence is there that Lieutenant Duncan Chapman was the first Anzac ashore? How has the community of Maryborough commemorated his life?

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Mysteries of Angkor

Did you know that around 800 years ago the world's biggest city was in Cambodia? From the 10th century, Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled a huge part of South-East Asia for around three centuries. But Angkor was abandoned in the 15th century. Discover how modern archaeological techniques are now helping ...

Video

Life As a Female Convict: Cascades Female Factory

The Cascades Female Factory was both a prison and a factory for female convicts in early Hobart. It was a place where convict women were forced to undertake labour in slave-like conditions to support the fledgling colony. Learn what life at the Female Factory was like for the inmates. What sort of work did the women do? ...

Video

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 ...

Video

Thinkabout, Talkabout: Australian children during World War II

What was life like for Australian children during World War II? From 1939 to 1945 Australia was at war. After Japan entered the war in 1941, this conflict became a total war, which affected almost everyone and almost every aspect of life in Australia. Listen to two people who lived through this time sharing their memories ...

Video

ABC Rosh Hashanah: Synagogue and teachings

Have you ever attended a religious ceremony? Nearly all religions have their own special ceremonies for weddings, funerals and other special events. This clip explores the ceremonies that Jewish people have at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Video

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.

Audio

From the Front Lines: The Battle for Tobruk

The North African port of Tobruk was the site of ferocious fighting during World War II. Here, Australian and other Allied soldiers repelled Italian and German attacks and even drove the enemy backwards. At the time, this was not only a strategic victory, but a psychological victory, proving that the Allies were capable ...

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 ...