Australian Journeys education resources

In 2009 the National Museum of Australia opened its new Australian Journeys gallery.

Australian Journeys explores the ways in which the journeys of people and objects connect Australia to the world — both physically, through journeys associated with immigration, emigration, tourism, business, war and sport; and also mentally and spiritually, through emotions, ideas, values, beliefs, attitudes and imagination.

It does this by allowing visitors to explore a series of objects that are associated with the journeys of particular people to or from Australia. In each case there is a connection — real or imaginary — between the person, an Australian place, and another part of the world. Investigating the histories and meanings of these objects can raise many ideas and questions about the ways in which Australia's history is intimately connected to global forces and conditions.

By interrogating these objects, one of the key kinds of journey represented in the gallery, migration, so common in Australian history and geography curriculum documents, can be explored in a new, engaging and revealing way.

That's what this unit does — it provides ways that teachers and students can use some of the objects of the Australian Journeys Gallery to explore the migration theme in their classrooms.

It also takes you on a 'tour' of the gallery, with commentary in italics from Senior Curator Dr Martha Sear.