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Telling the story
of Australia
through
Circa
Creating a narrative of Australian history in the classroom through museum objects
History is, among other things, a story.
Students enjoy hearing stories and creating them.
One of these narrative stories is presented in the National Museum of
Australia’s Circa multimedia experience. Circa is a rotating theatre located
at the entry to the National Museum of Australia’s permanent exhibitions.
It is a highlight of most students’ experience at the Museum.
The Circa multimedia presentation establishes a chronological narrative from
the continent’s deep time to contemporary Australia.
This is a great activity for students who are able to visit Canberra, but even if
teachers do not take their students on an excursion to the National Capital
the story presented by Circa is one that has great relevance to the history
classroom. This unit provides resources and suggested activities to help
teachers achieve a variety of desirable learning outcomes using the
Circa model.
THE UNIT CAN:
help students construct a narrative overview of Australian history
help them to speculate or hypothesise about certain aspects of
Australian history
help them to develop empathy with people of the past through an
experience of material culture
be an excellent starting point for a further exploration of an
aspect of the syllabus
help develop students’ critical skills in interrogating museum
objects as evidence
help students with their museum or other historical site studies.
The unit can be used as a self-contained and stand-alone resource in a
history classroom, or it can be a pre-visit activity for a student excursion
to the National Capital (such as a Civics and Citizenship excursion) that
will help them get more out of their National Museum of Australia visit,
and their Circa experience.
The unit provides a range of National Museum of Australia objects, and
suggestions for using these in the classroom.
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008
1

TEACHER’S GUIDE
The Circa multimedia story at the National Museum of Australia
Circa has been designed as a ‘transition zone’ between the
world outside the Museum and the permanent exhibitions.
Its role is to conceptually orient diverse audiences to the
Museum’s thematic interests in Australian history and
its object-centred approach to representing Australian
experience.
Circa’s primary communication aims are:
• to communicate that the Museum interprets history
through material culture. It suggests to visitors how they
can imaginatively respond to objects as a means of
connecting with the past
• to provide visitors with a basic understanding of the
chronological sweep of Australian history, revealing how
‘the Australian story’ is composed of intersecting strands
of experience.
There are four quadrants, or stages, in the presentation:
1 4 2 3
Quadrant One
Deep time to
Human habitation
of the continent
Quadrant Two
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait
Islander cultures
pre-contact to
1880s agriculture
Quadrant Four
1960s consumer
culture to
contemporary
Australia
Quadrant Three
Late nineteenth
century growth
of cities to 1950s
migration and
industry
Visiting students are gathered and seated in a theatre space
that rotates through four quadrants, with each quadrant
featuring a number of the Museum’s objects contextualised
through associated collections, archival materials and
contemporary images of people and places.
Visitors then exit into entry spaces for various galleries, where
they will recognise many of the objects that have been part of
the Circa experience.
Each quadrant begins and ends with an impression of motion,
effectively pushing the narrative and audience forward, and
acting as transition periods from one historical era, or theme
to the next – between quadrants one and two, the preserved
footprints at Lake Mungo fade to vision of walking through the
landscape of Kakadu; between quadrants two and three PS
Enterprise steams along and early motion picture images bring
busy city streets to the big screen; and between quadrants
three and four the Holden runs off the production line into the
Australian countryside and television beams images of the
Melbourne Olympics and a changing society into suburban
homes across the nation.
Details of the display and its narrative structure can be seen in
Resource Page 5.
2 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

TEACHER’S GUIDE
Using the resources of Circa in the history classroom
— A suggested approach
This unit is built around a set of 30 objects from the National
Museum of Australia. These objects come from and represent
the approximate 60000 year span of human occupation of
Australia. (Note that this best-evidence-based fi gure of 60 000
years could change tomorrow if some signifi cant discovery
were suddenly announced!)
By having students sequence and critically analyse the
objects, they will be able to gain ideas about the past that they
can explore further in their own studies. They will actively learn
about the story of Australia, about the nature of evidence that
is used to understand that story, and about the way people
and institutions can use the evidence to construct or represent
versions of that story.
1 Have students do Activity 1, the story of their school.
They can report on their fi ndings at the start of the next
class. Discussion will bring out the fact that there are
many similarities in stories when they are based on an
accepted set of information, but there are also many
variations possible because of differences in people’s
interpretation or selection of the information they use to
create their story.
2 Have students briefl y brainstorm (Activity 2) to create
an outline of Australia’s history. Record this on the board
and have students copy it. They will be able to compare
this to the version they later create from the National
Museum of Australia objects.
3 Hand out Resource Pages 1-4 (a colour copy if
possible), giving one page to each of three or six groups.
Have students complete Activity 3, the sequencing/
dating activity. If the pages are laminated they will be
able to be re-used, though one non-laminated set will be
needed later for students to cut up to create their own
class timeline.
4 Students now work on Activity 4, the ‘interrogation’
of objects. Give each student a copy of the Object
Question List page. Have students look at the set
of
questions that can be asked of an object. Stress that
not all questions apply to every object, and that t there
may be some additional questions that they could think
of to ask. Look at the completed sample on page 59 to
show the required process. Then have students s divide
the objects among themselves, cut them out, paste an
object in the space on the question sheet, and
do their analysis. Resource Page 5 will help
identify their object, and may help them
place it in historical context.
5 Once students have done this they can report on
their object to the rest of the class, and place their
annotated and illustrated page featuring the object in a
sequence on the wall. In this way they are contributing
to a class version of Australian history.
6 Have students refl ect on and discuss the version
of Australian history they have created. How does
it compare to their original brainstorm? What have
they learned? Are there aspects that they had not
considered before? Are there aspects that the objects
did not illustrate well? Point out that they will soon be
investigating some aspects of Australian history in more
detail in their classroom studies (depending on the
syllabus) and that they will be able to test the version or
representation that they have created.
7 Those students who will be going on an excursion to
Canberra and visiting the National Museum of Australia
will be able to complete Resource Page 6 during their
visit, and will be able to compare their story with that told
in Circa.
8 You might have students look back at the initial activity,
of creating a history of their school. This might be
done as a theoretical or virtual history, or they may
even try to set up a display using real objects
and other information from the past.
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008
3

Student resources
and activities
Student Activity
1
Telling a story
One important aspect of history is telling a story
– about what things happened, how and why they happened,
what this meant to the people involved, how they might
have felt about things at the time, and what effects or
consequences the events had. Those events might even still
be having an effect or infl uence on us today.
By the end of this unit you will be able to tell a big story – a
story of Australia. It will not be the only possible story, but it
will be one version or representation of that story.
Then if you visit Canberra’s National Museum of Australia you
will have the chance to compare the story you have created
with the one the Museum has created in their high-tech Circa
experience. It’s worth a visit just for that!
What do we mean by telling a story?
Let’s start with something you are familiar with — your school.
YOUR TASK is to tell the story of that school. It does not
matter if the school is old or new, large or small — it still has a
story. And you are part of its story.
Here are some things that you might include in the story:
• the school’s origins
• a description of the school
• its signifi cant features
Student Activity 2
Now that you have created a story of your
school it’s time to tackle a much bigger story, a history of
Australia! Start this by brainstorming as a class, and listing
what you know about Australian history.
Student Activity
3
You have started to tell the story, or history, of Australia. The
resources and activities that follow will help you add detail to
this. They will also help you to decide what aspects you would
like to explore further.
It doesn’t matter if you do not think that you know enough
about the past to do this. You only have to use the information
that is supplied in this unit. There are no right or wrong
answers, just your own response.
Here’s how to go about it.
STEP 1 There are 30 images in this unit, identifi ed with a
letter from A to DD. All are objects that are from, and tell us
something about, Australia’s history. Write a caption for each
saying what it is. For example, you might decide that object C
shows a national costume for a group who have migrated
to Australia.
• any famous or notable or interesting teachers or students
• how it has changed over time
• incidents from the past as remembered or recorded by earlier
students or teachers
• what it tells us about what it values — for example, honour
boards to school captains, top students or sporting captains
tell us the school values leadership qualities, academic
achievement and sporting prowess.
In telling the story of the school you might:
• draw on your own knowledge and experience
• talk to other students and teachers who are at the school now
• interview past pupils and staff
• look at any objects from the school’s past that might tell you
something of the story of the school, such as old uniforms
• look at the school archives or past yearbooks.
When you have fi nished, compare your story with those of your
classmates.
Chances are that you will fi nd that some stories contain
similarities, while some contain differences. How can the stories
be different if you are all telling the story of the same school?
See if you can come up with a list of explanations — covering
such aspects as the evidence used, personal perspectives and
opinions, and changing values and attitudes over time.
Brainstorm a narrative
Record and keep this outline — you will be able to compare it to
your fi nal narrative at the end of the unit, and see how much your
ideas have developed!
Sequencing and dating evidence
STEP 2 Your task now is to roughly date the objects. Don’t worry
at this stage if you are not accurate. Just do your best. Select
what you think is the most appropriate date. The choices are:
• Before 1770 (and say how long ago – e.g. 20,000 years)
• 1770 – 1850 (and say which decade — e.g. 1820s)
• 1851 – 1900 (and say which decade — e.g. 1870s)
• 1901 – 1950 (and say which decade — e.g. 1930s)
• 1951 – Today (and say which decade — e.g. 1990s)
For example, image B looks like old technology, so you might
write: 1851-1900: 1880s.
STEP 3 Number the images in order 1–30, from oldest to
most recent. You can discuss your dating and numbering with
classmates, but you do not all need to agree. For example, you
might decide that there are 16 objects older than the one in
image C, so you will number it 17.
See how you go.
4 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

Resource Page
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008
5

Resource Page
2
I
J
L
M
K
O
N
6 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

Resource Page
3
Q
P
R
T
S
U
V
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008
7

Resource Page
4
W
X
Y
Z
AA
BB
CC
DDD
8 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

Student Activity 4 Interrogating objects as evidence 9
Once you have dated and sequenced
the images, it is time to study them
more closely.
Objects have meanings. They can tell
us things that help us understand their
place in our history. But to fi nd these
meanings and messages, we need to
‘interrogate’ them closely.
By doing this you will fi nd that you
understand the story of Australia better.
This activity should be shared among
the class, so that each person or small
group only has a few objects to analyse.
You should then report on your fi ndings
to the rest of the class, and learn from
them about the other objects you have
not personally interrogated.
For each object that you are focusing
on, complete the Object Question
Card on the next page. Not all the
questions will apply to all objects, and
you may even want to add some new
questions to the object or objects which
you will report on to the class.
Look at the example opposite to see
what a completed question card might
look like for an object.
Now go through this process yourself
with an object.
To help you with this you can look at the
National Museum of Australia captions
for these objects, and the list of themes
from the Museum’s story as presented in
the Circa multimedia experience. These
are on Resource Page 5.
You can also go to the National Museum
of Australia website and see more about
some of the objects in this unit, as well
as many others in the collection.
Go to: and the
‘Collections’ section which contains
information on many interesting objects
in the collection.
The following objects from this unit are
specifi cally mentioned on the website
– just type their names into the search
engine.
• Cook’s plane table frame
• Heidelberg dress
• Holden prototype No.1
• Springfi eld collection
• Gold brooch (Friends magazine
article – v16, no2, June 2005)
• Tirranna Cup
• Breastplates
• Kewpie doll
You can now create your own story
of Australia. You might do this as
a class, with each group being
responsible for several panels of the
story to be arranged around
the room.
If you visit Canberra, you could
compare your own version of the story
with that in Circa. The National Museum
of Australia will be interested in getting
your response to the questions on
Resource Page 6.
Finally, you might try to set up an
imaginary/virtual museum display,
or even a real one, for the history of
your school that you thought about at
the start of this unit. What would you
include in your display? How would
you organise it? How would you
caption the objects? How would you
use other information to help people
know about and understand this aspect
of the past?
Two piece, full length wool dress, ‘Pink Merino’ c1900
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

Object Question Card
OBSERVE AND IDENTIFY
What is it?
Who made it?
Who used it?
What for?
When was it made?
How was it made?
Where is it from?
Where was it found?
PASTE A COPY
OF THE OBJECT
HERE
INTERPRET
Why was it made?
What does it tell you about:
• the place
• the time
• the society
• the economy
• ideas, values or beliefs
• lives of individuals?
Was it valuable?
SPECULATE
What impacts or consequences would it have?
COMMUNICATE
I think this object comes from this time and theme in
Australian history:
What would happen if it were not available?
What would happen if a better version were available?
It helps me understand that:
What might it have felt like to have or wear or use the object?
10 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008

Resource Page
5
Some themes in Australian history in the National Museum of Australia’s Circa multimedia experience
Quadrant One
This quadrant explores ‘deep time’ Australian history – the
shaping of the continent and its landscapes, the evolution of a
distinctive biota and the advent of humans. It does not attempt
an overview of the events of millions of years but rather
suggests how contemporary Australia was shaped by and
remains connected to the processes of deep time history.
The scenes of this quadrant are intertwined, as they are not
distinct historical periods. The action is more suggestive, with
the raindrops and storm featured in ‘Forces of nature’ shifting
to views of mountain ranges sculpted by millions of years of
weathering, recognisable as Australia’s ‘Prehistoric landscapes’.
The momentum, which moves the audience into the next
quadrant, is created as vision moves through landscapes
shaped by various forces of nature and showing the impact of
human social and cultural life.
Scene 1 Forces of nature
Scene 2 Prehistoric landscapes
Scene 3 Flora and fauna
Scene 4 Human habitation of the continent
Quadrant Two
This quadrant traces Australian history from Aboriginal
Australia to the end of the nineteenth century. The treatment
of themes over this period is necessarily impressionistic,
generating a sense of how the character of Australian life has
changed rather than seeking to delineate specifi c events or
locations. The arrangement of screens suggests multiple views
and experiences, fragmenting our view of the past.
Scene 1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
Scene 2 European voyaging
Scene 3 Settlement
Scene 4 Exploration
Scene 5 Pastoral expansion
Scene 6 Gold Rush
Scene 7 Agriculture and industry
Quadrant Three
This quadrant continues the narrative from the 1890s to the
aftermath of World War 2. The beginning of the historical
period coincides with the emergence of moving pictures and
recorded sound – a new way of recording and connecting with
the past. The opening sequences reproduce the impact of the
fi rst moving images, with footage showing the activity of Collins
Street, a visit to the Melbourne Cup, and a trip on a city tram.
Scene 1 Growth of cities and Federation
Scene 2 World War 1
Scene 3 Post-war prosperity
Scene 4 The Great Depression
Scene 5 World War 2
Scene 6 Post-war migration and industry
Quadrant Four
This quadrant explores Australian history from the 1950s to
the present. It treats a series of signifi cant themes and events
in post-war Australia, moving quickly through the period.
The twenty-one screens emphasise the availability of visual
material as evidence of this period, a record of events and
signifi cant form of communication during the second half of
the twentieth century.
Scene 1 Welcome to television / 1956 Melbourne Olympic
Games
Scene 2 1950s/60s suburbia and recreation
Scene 3 Albert Namatjira – Indigenous culture and tourism
to Central Australia
Scene 4 Royal Tour 1954
Scene 5 1967 Referendum – Indigenous rights
Scene 6 Orroral Valley Satellite Tracking Station
Scene 7 Vietnam Moratorium and Asian immigration
Scene 8 Work and the urban environment / labour and
technology
Scene 9 Mining industry and Environmentalism
Scene 10 Celebration – Mardi Gras and 2000 Sydney
Olympic Games
Captions for the National Museum of Australia objects:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Postcard ‘Remebrance of the Absent One’ c1914
Ferrier's Lever Wool Press c1900
Latvian national dress 1940s-1960s
Boomerang 19th century
Political badges, ‘White Australia’ and
‘Protection’ c1900
Commemorative Sydney Harbour Bridge coffee
service c1932
Landau coach c1800
Breastplate, King John Cry 19th century
Bronze buddha sculpture by Le Thanh Nhon
1986
Large scale model of a kewpie doll for Olympic
Games closing ceremony 2000
K Tirranna Picnic Race Club Challenge Cup 1895
L Convict jacket c1850
M William Farrer’s plough 1890s
N ABC Outside Broadcast TV van 1950s
O Console, Orroral Valley Tracking Station 1959
P Camera, ‘Debrie Parvo’ (Frank Hurley) c1929
Q Infl atable rubber raft used in the Franklin Dam
protest 1980s
R Navigator’s plane table frame from a voyage of
Captain Cook c1770s
S Dress made from fl our sacks during the
Depression (‘Heidelberg dress’) 1930s
T Victa lawnmower 1960s
U Brooch 19th century
V Diprotodon dates from 1.6 million years ago
until about 40,000 years ago
W Commemorative bunting, Federation 1901
X Propert Caravan 1956
Y Referendum poster, ‘Yes for Aborigines’ 1967
Z Robert O’Hara Burke’s water bottle c1860
AA Prototype No.1 Holden sedan 1946
BB Peace Bus 1980s
CC Piece of yellow ochre used by Indigenous
Australians from about 60,000 years ago until
the present
DD Smith’s Family Bible Vol. 2 c1801
© National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008
11

Resource Page
6
Your visit to Circa
1 Rate your enjoyment of your visit to Circa out of 10: _____ /10
2 What did you like most?
3 What did you like least?
4 Were there any parts of the story that surprised you?
5 Were there any parts that you would like to know more about?
6 Are there any aspects of the Australian story that you think should have been included but were not?
7 Do you think Circa helps you to understand:
the Australian environment
the peopling of Australia
the Australian way of life
Australians’ beliefs
Australians’ values?
8 Why does the National Museum of Australia collect objects?
9 What is the favourite object you saw in Circa?
10 Did Circa help you to understand these objects better?
11 Did Circa help you get more out of the rest of your Museum visit?
12 Would you recommend Circa to others? Why or why not?
The National Museum of Australia would love to see
these comments. You could leave this page with a
Museum person at the end of your visit, or post it back
(your teacher might gather and post them as a group) to:
Education Section
National Museum of Australia
PO Box 1901
Canberra ACT 2601.
12 © National Museum of Australia
and Ryebuck Media 2008