Search results

Video

Weekend Magazine: A tour of the nation's capital

In the years following World War II, Australia sought to develop a new identity, one that honoured the past while embracing technological advances and increased political stability. As this clip shows, for many people during this period, Canberra - the nation's capital - served as a metaphor for the sort of place Australia ...

Video

The Navigators: Baudin sails north to Timor

Have you ever opened an exciting gift box to find nothing that you hoped for inside? French explorer Nicolas Baudin voyages to 'New Holland' to investigate the continent. This clip explains what he was expecting to see and why he was so disappointed with what he finds in Western Australia.

Video

Why Australia wanted a White Australia policy

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 was designed to limit non-British immigration to Australia. It came to be known as the White Australia policy. In some quarters, people of non-British (and especially non-European) heritage were regarded as being inferior, greedy or unable to fit in with dominant Australian society. ...

Video

Four Corners: Harlem co-op supermarket, 1968

What would you do if you found out that you were being sold inferior groceries, at higher prices, just because of the colour of your skin? Harlem resident Cora Walker explains that this was the situation faced by members of Harlem's African American community in the late 1960s. See how the residents joined together to address ...

Video

The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

Have you ever been surprised to see someone you know in a place far from home? Rival explorers, Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders, are sailing in opposite directions along the coast of 'New Holland'. Imagine their surprise when they spot each other's ship. Watch this clip to find out what happens when they meet at sea.

Video

Outback House: Arrival of the governess

Imagine leaving your home to travel back to a time over 150 years ago, to live and work on an outback farm. Sixteen Australians take part in a reality TV show about life on Oxley Downs, a sheep station built to look and work like a real station of the 1860s. Join the squatter's family as they eagerly await the arrival ...

Video

Four Corners: Native title: How to free your heart

Since the original Mabo decision was handed down by the High Court of Australia in 1992, acknowledging that the Meriam people of the Torres Strait had the right to hold native title over the Murray Islands, society's attitudes towards Native Title has evolved. In this clip, listen to the opinions of key players in the struggle ...

Video

Medieval knights

Who were medieval knights? How did you become a knight and what did a knight have to do? A medieval knight didn't just ride about on a war horse in shiny armour, go on crusade or joust in a tournament. Medieval knights had important responsibilities and duties to carry out.

Video

Battle of Fromelles explained

Have you heard of the Battle of Fromelles? It was an important World War I battle for Australia for many reasons. Watch this video explainer to find out more about this battle and its significance to many Australians.

Video

The Australian Dream: Racism

This clip highlights Adam Goodes’s belief that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism. Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used ...

Video

An old camera

Watch as Margot shows you a camera from around 100 years ago! How would you describe it? How is it different to the cameras we use today? Are there any similarities? Can you find the lens on the camera that you or your family uses to take photos? How was getting your photo taken in the olden days different from the way ...

Video

Weekend Magazine: The Stomp, a 1960s dance craze

Imagine a dance so simple it could be learnt in minutes and so popular it became a craze. This clip from a Weekend Magazine program screened in 1963 looks at such a dance. It was called the Stomp and it was pounded out in surf clubs and council halls around Australia's coast. Watch and listen as teenagers express their ...

Video

River Valley Civilisations: Mesopotamia, the world's first civilisation

Considered the birthplace of human civilisation, Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq, and parts of Kuwait, Turkey and Syria) was situated in the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. What do we know of this ancient civilisation? What characteristics did Mesopotamia have that made it a civilisation?

Video

Roman Times: Were ancient Romans slaves to fashion?

What clothing would you have worn to look cool in ancient Rome? Like people today, many ancient Romans felt that they had to follow the latest fashions. Find out why for many men tunics replaced togas, and that in some periods men wore beards and in other times they didn't. See what hairstyle options were available for ...

Video

Medieval trebuchets and sieges

In medieval wars the trebuchet and other siege engines were used to attack castles and destroy defences. Trebuchets catapulted huge boulders, smashing down walls. They could also be used to fire diseased bodies and dead animals into a besieged castle or walled city.

Video

An olden day toilet

In the olden days, there were no toilets inside the house. Why do you think that was? Instead there was a "potty" for the children and a commode chair for the parents. Would you be brave enough to help empty the potty in the morning? How did people in the olden days wash their hands if there was no tap? Buckingham House ...

Video

Counted: Australian culture in the 1960s

What was Australia like in the 1960s? Why does reporter Stan Grant say that "change is coming" at this time, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Choose one of the people mentioned in this video and do some research into their sporting, artistic or political achievements.

Video

Counted: Marcia Langton on racism

Marcia Langton, a teenager in 1967, reflects on her experiences of racism. What does she say about the language of racism? How have Marcia and Stan Snr experienced racism? And what does Marcia say are its effects? What do you think are the effects of racism?

Video

This place: Dreamtime story of the Nambucca River

Hear the Dreamtime story of the Nambucca River on Gumbaynggirr Country (North Coast of New South Wales). What is the river called in Gumbaynggirr? What made the imprint in the land around Nambucca River? There's a bend in the river called Baga Baga in Gumbaynggirr. Why is it called this?

Video

This Day Tonight: Germaine Greer and women's liberation, 1972

Discover what it was like for women who spoke up for equal rights in 1970. Germaine Greer's 'The Female Eunuch' was first published in that year. It would inspire many to challenge traditional views of female and male roles. Listen as, in 1970, Greer expresses her ideas and several Australian women and girls say what they ...