Change and Resilience
Bring your students along on a 360-degree virtual reality immersive journey through the Great Barrier Reef, where they’ll discover stories of change, fragility and resilience.
- Year levels
2–12
- Duration
1.5 hours
- Cost
$15 per student,
Accompanying adults free
Bookings essential via BCE- Availability
Fridays from 19 June to 18 December 2026
10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm
In Life in the Great Barrier Reef, students will learn about the largest living organism in the world. They will discover how the reef has changed over time, the relationship it has with the Daintree rainforest through water management, and how scientists are helping to manage the reef.
After the experience, students will explore the Great Southern Land gallery, completing a series of activities under teacher guidance.
Students will learn more about the reef and First Nations communities working to support it, as well as other stories of resilience and change, before reflecting on how they too can think and act like changemakers.
Please read the guidance on VR headsets and the health and safety notice before you book.
Life in the Great Barrier Reef is suitable for all audiences; however, the virtual reality (VR) headset is recommended for users 8 years and older. Specific guidance is provided in the health and safety notice below for young users aged 8 to 13 years. Children under the age of 8 are still welcome to attend a session, but teacher discretion is advised for wearing VR headsets. The VR experience is not recommended for people with certain medical conditions that could be aggravated by VR, such as epilepsy, heart conditions or severe motion sickness. Glasses can be worn under the headset, but the focus cannot be adjusted.
During the VR experience, teachers must not wear a headset to maintain a duty of care. A 2D version of the film will be available on the theatre screen.
Please read the health and safety notice before you book.
- Discuss perspectives related to objects, people, places and events (Year 2, HASS – AC9HS2S04)
- The importance of environments, including natural vegetation and water sources, to people and animals in Australia and on another continent (Year 4, HASS – AC9HS4K05)
- Investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions (Year 6, Science – AC9S6H02)
- The cultural connectedness of people to places and how this influences their identity, sense of belonging and perceptions of a place, in particular the cultural connectedness of First Nations Australians to Country/Place (Year 7, Geography – AC9HG7K07)
- Sustainable patterns of living require the responsible use of resources, maintenance of clean air, water and soils, and preservation or restoration of healthy environments. (Cross-curriculum priority SS2)
Credits
Life in the Great Barrier Reef is a White Spark Pictures production. Financed with support from the National Museum of Australia, Western Australian Museum, and Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, with support from the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Pullman Cairns International and Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort.
Project partners
Acknowledgement of Country
The producers wish to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land and Sea Country on which this film was created.