How did this city come to be?

Burnt sign for Stromlo forest

With the birth of Australia as a federated nation comes the story of its capital, Canberra. However, Canberra has long been a meeting place and its story begins well before 1913. Who were the important people who influenced its growth and what events have helped to shape the city and the nation?

In Canberra: A Capital Story students investigate the development of the capital by handling objects and exploring the Museum’s galleries, including the exhibition Glorious Days: Australia 1913 (from March through to October 2013). During the program students use ICT to help them in their gallery exploration.

Details

Year levels	5–12 (Years 6–12 in Qld, WA and SA)
Group size	40 students (two groups can run concurrently)
Duration	2 hours
Cost	$6 per student
Availability	Tuesday–Friday, 10am 12pm 3pm
Curriculum links	The content of Canberra: A Capital Story relates closely to the National Curriculum: History. In particular it links to years 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 through the Historical Knowledge and Understanding topics: Ancient Australia; Colonial settlement; Federation; Democracy and citizenship; Movement of peoples; Notable individuals; and Environment.

Aim

provide students with the opportunity to explore key events and time periods that have shaped the capital, Canberra and Australia, through object handling and gallery exploration
help students to understand time, continuity and change through the construction and examination of timelines, and gallery exploration.

Structure

Introductory activity – students explore objects that relate to key events and ideas in Canberra’s history, and then construct a timeline to discuss change in Australia.
Gallery activity – working in groups, students explore the exhibition Glorious Days: Australia 1913 and the Museum’s galleries. They use ICT to make connections between the objects in the galleries and an aspect of Canberra’s development, the year 1913 or a significant national event, which has shaped both the city and the nation.
Reflection – students gather to discuss their selected objects and explain why their stories are important to Australian history. They also discuss how they might be used for further research and reflection on Australian history and our national identity back at school.

Exploring the Museum

You may like to allow extra time to visit other exhibitions and to explore other places in the Museum, such as Circa and Kspace. For everything you need to know about visiting, see Plan and book a visit.

Related resources

These activity ideas might be useful in your classroom.

You may be interested in our resources related to historical skills.

Teacher resources

The 1967 Referendum – a unit of work investigating the significance and impact of the 1967 Referendum.
Life at the time of Federation – using a time capsule this unit of work explores life in Australia in 1901.
Women and equality as citizens – a unit of work investigating the significant moments that contributed to women’s equality as citizens in Australia.
What impacts has immigration had on Australia? – a unit of work investigating the stories and impact migrants have had on Australian society over time.
Nation: Investigating images of a nation – a unit of work exploring the meanings of significant symbols of Australia.

Interactive

Citizens’ Arch – explore the symbols and designs on the 1901 Citizen’s Arch.