Chinese migrants played a very significant role on the Ballarat Goldfields, and elsewhere around Victoria, making up approximately 20% of all males in Ballarat. They were known for being hard-working and peaceful people, however their experience of the gold rush was marred by racism and discriminatory politics.
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s people, Chinese, immigration, racism, teaching history, teaching resources
Following Sunday’s (2/10) epidsode of Wild Boys it seems like there is one Bushranger that deserves a greater mention. Captain Moonlite is not just a fictional TV character, he was a real person and one of the most infamous characters of the Ballarat goldfields region.
The producers of Wild Boys clearly based their Captain Moonlite on the real man and they have included a number of acurate details. We thought we would take the oppotunity to share some more about his life and some ideas for exploring this goldfields character and related topics in your classrooms.
Andrew George Scott (image: State Library Victoria)
Posted in History Teaching, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s people, bushrangers, gold rush, law and order, Wild Boys
With the new popular TV program ‘Wild Boys’ gracing our screens it seems timely to discuss the presence of Bushrangers during the gold rushes. While the TV show glosses over a few historical details, drawing on popular culture such as this can be used as a powerful hook to engage students in history. They can even become historians who investigate the historical accuracy of such programs, from people and attitudes to building construction and details of daily life – an interesting and empowering activity no doubt.
Bushrangers certainly existed in colonial Australia and some thrived during the gold rush. Unidentifiable gold was an alluring target, as were the many naive new chums arriving in the colony. A large part of the British Redcoats‘ role in the colonies was to act as a gold escort between the diggings and Melbourne. The situation was further affected by the presence of numerous ex-convicts harbouring resentment towards authority figures and the limited number of police; including some untrained and allegedly corrupt officers. It was a potent mix and a complex social scenario.
Posted in History Teaching, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s people, bushrangers, crime, gold rush, law and order, teaching resources, Wild Boys
With Book Week upon us, we thought a book suggestion would be appropriate. One of the Notable Picture Books in this year’s Children’s Book Council Awards was Queen Victoria’s Underpants – by Jackie French and Bruce Wheatly.
Published by Harper Collins
In the early years of schooling the study of history is often about children noting simple differences between today and the past. During Book Week we are running an activity for early year’s students using this book and we have found it to be a great conversation starter. The story provides a great opportunity to discuss differences in clothing and lifestyle and the reference to underpants is always enjoyed and often prompts lively conversation.
Posted in Books for Teaching History, History Teaching
Tagged 1850s people, books, Queen Victoria, teaching resources, women
One of the most interesting ways to study a period of history is to look at the life of a real person, especially when that person is a colourful character whose life is so full of stories and scandals that they almost seem a work of fiction. Lola Montez was one such person.
Lola Montez at Sovereign Hill
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s people, gold rush, theatre, women
Sovereign Hill Education Blog 