Tag Archives: colonial Australia

Household Arts of the 1850s: A personal experience part 3.

Posted on April 3, 2013 | 1 comment

The Woman of the Hill part 3.

Jenni enjoying a lighter moment from her stay

Our intrepid volunteer, Jenni Fithall, has completed her three days and two nights living in one of the cottages at Sovereign Hill Outdoor Museum. During her stay approximately 3800 visitors, including about 1500 school children came to Sovereign Hill. Many of these visitors and children visited Jenni in her cottage, so apart from living as a woman of the 1850s, Jenni also had to contend with a multitude of questions, photo opportunities and a constant stream of people walking through her little two room cottage. Continue reading →

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Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill, Victorian Gold Rush

Tagged 1850s food, 1850s health, 1850s lifestyles, 1850s people, colonial Australia, gold rush, Household Arts, women

The Industrial Revolution in Australia

Posted on February 6, 2013 | 17 comments

Teaching about the Industrial Revolution in Australia

Steam Power

The Industrial Revolution (1750-1914) is a fascinating part of modern world history. It had far-reaching impacts and was the catalyst for dramatic social changes. It is a great option for secondary teachers to choose as a Year 9 Depth Study in the new AusVELS History course.

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Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill

Tagged colonial Australia, Industrial Revolution, teaching history

AusVELS Resources for the New Year – Settlement of Victoria

Posted on January 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

New Teaching Kit focused on AusVELS level 5

Home Bound by ST Gill (Gold Museum Collection)

The Education team at Sovereign Hill have just completed a new resource for teachers of History at AusVELS level 5. The Settlement of Victoria. It provides some practical advice on teaching the content and skills required by the National Curriculum, as well as online links to resources for teachers and students. The kit also provides links to a Teachers Guide and AusVELS Grid and a Diigo social bookmarking website, dedicated to this topic, so that teachers and students can share their resources.

Just follow this link to find out more.

Are you implementing AusVELS in your school yet? How are you coping with the changes?

A Colonial Christmas in Ballarat

Posted on December 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Christmas Celebrations in the 1850s

A drawing of Christmas celebrations during the gold rush. - National Library of Australia

A drawing of Christmas celebrations on the diggings – from the National Library of Australia

Christmas in Ballarat during the gold rush was very different than it is today. They didn’t have all the glitzy decorations that adorn our modern streets and houses. Despite this, they worked hard to create a joyous atmosphere that could remind them of Christmas back home. Although, as this newspaper article highlights, they don’t seem to be missing the cold winter days…

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Books for Teaching History: Playing Beatie Bow

Posted on August 6, 2012 | 2 comments

Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park

Playing Beatie Bow has been read in schools for the past 30 years or so. While it may be beginning to look dated to children today and the language can be challenging, it is still a rich historical fiction full of insights into Australia during the Victorian era.

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Posted in Books for Teaching History, History Teaching

Tagged 1850s lifestyles, books, colonial Australia

Our 5 Favourite Victorian Proverbs

Posted on June 7, 2012 | 6 comments

5 of the best proverbs from the good old days!

Victorians, that is to say: those from the Victorian era, were very fond of proverbs. Short and sharp moral lessons or wise observations that could be shared easily and drilled firmly into the minds of children. Common proverbs from the 19th century can tell us a lot about the ideas, beliefs and daily lives of those who professed them.

We’d like to share with you 5 of our favourite proverbs that you would have likely heard during the gold rush days.

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6 Comments

Posted in History Teaching, Victorian Gold Rush

Tagged 1850s lifestyles, colonial Australia, proverbs

Science and History: The Transit of Venus

Posted on June 1, 2012 | 3 comments

The Transit of Venus and it’s Connection to Australian History

Coming up this Wednesday 6th June, the planet Venus will cross in front of the sun. This phenomenon is known as the Transit of Venus and we are fortunate enough to be able to view it in Australia. This is a rare opportunity as the Transit only occurs twice in more than 100 years. It last occurred in June 2004 and after this week it will not be seen until December 2117!

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