Tour Guiding: History & Heritage

By presenting the perspectives of both Indigenous Tasmanians and British settlers, author Henry Reynolds provides an original and engaging exploration of these first fraught encounters. Utilising key themes to bind his narrative, Reynolds explores how geography created a unique economic and migratory history for Tasmania, quite separate from the mainland experience. He offers an astute analysis of the island's economic and demographic reality, by noting that this facilitated the survival of a rich heritage of colonial architecture unique in Australia, and allowed the resident population to foster a powerful web of kinship. Reynolds' remarkable capacity to empathise with the characters of his chronicle makes this a powerful, engaging and moving account of Tasmania's unique position within Australian history.

Alice Bennett and Georgia Warner have collected together the stories of these houses, and of the people who have passed through them over the years. As the new colony thrived, fortunes were made and many of the homes featured in Country Houses of Tasmania signalled the New World's wealth with their sumptuous furnishings - from Carrara marble to Italian porcelain, Minton caustic tiles, the best Berlin metal and French moire wallpaper. In the twenty-first century these houses which have been largely lost on the Australian mainland - remain as brick-and-mortar reminders of the past. Many of today's owners are descendants of the original builders, and all are dedicated to the preservation of that hidden architectural heritage. 'The homes you enter in this book are private. Unless you are part of their inner circle you might not have even known they existed,' write Georgia Warner and Alice Bennett. So the next time you glimpse a Georgian chimneypot over the top of a high hedge in rural Tasmania, or view a stately pile off in the distance down a tree-lined drive, open Country Houses of Tasmania and you will know what rare treasures lie inside.

The ADB is produced by the National Centre of Biography at the Australian National University (ANU) and is available both as a hardcopy publication and online.

A range of storytelling methods are used to recreate the often scary and exciting atmosphere of these early times. The final two segments look specifically at the migrant experiences of the British and Chinese, especially during the Gold Rush period. Their stories are told in an accessible and authentic way, providing audiences with a dramatic first-hand account of Australia's turbulent beginnings. This is an ideal resource which shows how, in less than a century, the country went from an outback penal colony to a nation striving for independence.

New laws, such as the Immigration Restriction Act, and the types of migrants allowed into Australia are highlighted helping viewers understand how this affected people's lives, especially as the country dealt with two world wars. The final two segments look specifically at the migrant experiences of the German and Irish during the period, with a range of archival footage accompanying their first-person stories. This is a detailed and vibrant account of Australia's struggle for unity during a time of global upheaval.

Using a combination of archival footage and dramatic sequences, the programme focuses on the rise of multi-culturalism throughout the 1950's and 60's and the many nationalities which are present in modern Australia. The final two segments look at the Italian and Vietnamese migrant experiences and how their respective cultures influence Australia today. Together with the first two programmes, these resources encapsulate the diverse and sometimes cruel history of migration in Australia.

Image attribution: "20090507_027rs Wynyard from Fossil Bluff" by Bush Philosopher - Dave Clarke is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The database includes:

places in the World Heritage List
places in the National Heritage List
places in the Commonwealth Heritage list
places in the Register of the National Estate
places in the List of Overseas Places of Historic Significance to Australia
places under consideration, or that may have been considered for, any one of these lists.

Image attribution: "another brick in the wall" by tiraha-hh is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

In this entertaining but informative program, we follow two students as they explore the elements behind the essential inquiry skills in the study of history. We look at the process of historical research, how to write focus questions and a hypothesis, examine the differences between primary and secondary sources, evaluate sources, and develop and appropriately format historical responses.