Our Australian Heritage

Warning. This article may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased. It also contains links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased.

This page has lots of links and resources to help students research and discover what life was like in Australia many years ago and the hardships early Australian settlers faced. There is also information on the impact colonisation on the Indigenous peoples of this country. This information is provided to support the COGs Unit G: Our Australian Heritage.

Video taken from SBS The First Australians

About the Areas – Bonville, Bundagen and Boambee: Coffs Harbour City Council community profile site.

List of Australian place names of Aboriginal origin

Face the Facts 2012 Some Questions and Answers about Indigenous Peoples, Migrants and Refugees and Asylum Seekers (2012).

My Place: ABC Website: Fantastic interactive website based on the picture book by Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins that chronicles the different lives of the people that live in the same house over the span of 200 years. The story is told by the generations of children who occupy the house and finishes with the Aboriginal child, Barangaroo.

Gallipoli: The First Day: An ABC 3D documentary site about the WW1 ANZAC landing at Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915.

Australian War Memorial

Parliament of Australia: Official website

Squirk: Consequences of British colonisation for Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fact Sheet

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Fact Sheet

SBS: First Australians: This link takes you to ‘The Journey’ timeline.

“First Australians chronicles the birth of contemporary Australia as never told before, from the perspective of its first people. First Australians explores what unfolds when the oldest living culture in the world is overrun by the world’s greatest empire.”

 Squirk:  Discovering gold in Australia

SBS: Gold:Explore the impact of the gold rushes on Australia and uncover the stories of the diggers. The topics detail the varied results of the gold rushes on the young colonies of Australia, and use newspapers, diaries and memoirs to uncover the personal experiences of those caught up in the rush. Discover the stories, explore the rich visual database and interact with the Flash features to learn more about the Australian gold rushes.

Screen Australia Videos

  • For Love or Money: Women are a cheaper alternative in the work force when The Great Depression (1929-1932) hit Australia.
  • The Paper Boy: Children, usually identified as someone under the age of 16, were often able to get jobs during the Great Depression because their labour was cheap.
  • Bread and Dripping:  Raising children during The Great Depression.

ANZAC Day: Gallipoli and the ANZACS.

Sydney Harbour Bridge: Official website tells you the history of this Australian icon.

Bubonic Plague: The bubonic plague comes to Sydney 1900.

The Great Depression 1929-1932

Darlinghurst Goal

HMS Endeavour

Eureka Stockade

Eureka Rebellion and the murder of James Scobie and burning of Bentley’s Hotel (Eureka Hotel).

The ships of the First Fleet

 The First Fleet and convicts

The Rabbits by John Marsden & Shaun Tan : Best viewed with a parent or teacher to encourage discussion. This book has won numerous awards around the world and was Australian Picture Book of the Year.

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