Australian History - How people, places and environments interact, past and present

Develop historical understanding of the movement of people, Australia’s early colonisation, contact between societies and its effect on people and the environment.

Using works of art as a platform, this tour may explore the following key inquiry questions:

● Why did the great journeys of exploration occur?

● What was life like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples before the arrival of the Europeans?

● Why did the Europeans settle in Australia?

● What was the nature and consequence of contact between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and early traders, explorers and settlers?

Below are a range of resources to support your visit.

Guided or self-guided?

You can opt for a free tour led by our experienced volunteer Gallery Guides. Or you can shape your own tour with a self-guided visit – you don’t have to be a specialist art teacher, just follow our simple tips.

Guided visits may be available with 4 weeks notice, however Guides can not be guaranteed. We ask that you are always prepared to self guide. A guided visit is an experience designed to engage students with works of art. While our volunteer guides will plan a tour to suit your students' needs, this offering is aimed to enhance the teaching and learning that is already occurring in your classrooms rather than explicitly teach curriculum content.

Below are a selection of works of art that connect with this topic. We recommend checking the 'on display' status on the individual work of art pages, as unfortunately the display of works of art can change. We encourage you to use these resources in post visit activities in the classroom and we would love to see examples of student work in response to the questions posed.