Digital Classroom | National Library of Australia (NLA)
Search

What can we help you find?

Not sure where to start or need help? Ask a Librarian

Digital Classroom

Explore Australia's history at the National Library's Digital Classroom, aligned with the Australian Curriculum. With over 10 million items, we support diverse learning styles, fostering inquiry-based learning for students to analyse sources and draw conclusions about the Australian story.
Showing 169 - 180 of 215 results
Sort by:
Catherine Branson

Catherine Branson

Catherine Branson - Former judge and human rights lawyer

Topic 

Catherine Branson QC, AC, former judge, and former President of the Australian Human Rights commission has also spent her career advocating for equality, gender issues, and the rights of marginalized communities in Australia and beyond.

Humanities
Year 10
Australian women
Law and legislation
A detailed historical map of Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, depicting early settlement areas, marked camps, and referenced landmarks such as gardens and marine camps. Includes a list of ship names from the First Fleet and geographical details.

Francis Fowkes, Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, in the County of Cumberland, 1789, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230578175 

The Colonies

Topic

Explore how the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, bringing convicts, soldiers, and settlers to Gadigal Country, marked a turning point in Australia’s history that initiated profound changes to the land and its peoples.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
A colorful vintage poster promoting Australia as the "Land of Tomorrow." The illustration features a vibrant rural scene with a man riding a horse in the foreground, surrounded by sheep and blooming trees. In the background, a farmhouse with a red roof is set amidst rolling green hills, with a farmer driving a tractor and a windmill spinning. Smoke rises from the house's chimney, adding to the idyllic countryside feel. The words "Australia" and "land of tomorrow" are prominently displayed.

J. G & Australia. Department of Information, Australia land of tomorrow, 1950, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137199963

Selling the dream

Topic

Understand how advertising to attract migrants and visitors is linked to Australia's immigration policies with this teaching resource.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
Small red christening gown with black buttons down the centre

Christening gown worn by members of the Kwong family from the Papers of the Kwong family, 1891-2001, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3006822

Becoming Australian

Topic

Explore the different ways and reasons that people came to Australia and stayed through the personal migration stories of Kwong Mui Ying, Lorenzo Abrogar Gamboa and Thomas Frankovitz.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
Three young girls smile and sit together inside a wooden boat cabin. A customs officer stands outside near a vessel labeled "Customs." Two bowls rest on a barrel near the cabin.

Michael Jensen, Three girls in cabin on the boat from Vietnam, Darwin 1977, nla.gov.au/catalog/3209932

Refugees

Topic

Examine the journeys and challenges of refugees to Australia and reflect on government policies related to asylum and detention in this learning resource.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
A colourful woodblock print showing a warrior gripping a spear in battle. He wears a detailed robe with bold patterns, including phoenix designs. Arrows are embedded around him, and swords are visible at the bottom of the image.

Kuniyoshi Utagawa & 歌川国芳, Honchō Suikoden gōyū happyakunin no hitori : Eda Genzō Hirotsuna [Kagaya Kichibei], 1830, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151535028

Pre-Shogunate Japan

Topic

Take your students on a journey through Japan’s early political and cultural development, leading up to the rise of the shogunate.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
Woodblock print showing 5 men. Three men are kneeling before one seated man holding a sign, Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Behind the seated man crouches an advisor.

Toshitsune Inano, Tokugawa Mitsukuni [Tokyo], 1880, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152444502

Life under the Shoguns

Topic

Explore the intricate social hierarchy of feudal Japan during the shogunate era, characterised by distinct classes and roles.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
A black and white page with four seperate images. Each image depicts famous Japanese military generals in uniform. Their names are written in script next to their pictures.

[Ehon cover drafts], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151544183

The Tokugawa

Topic

Japan’s transformative Sengoku Jidai, or Warring States Period, is a time marked by internal conflict and powerful military leaders.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
print of samurai archer in blue and red outfit

Toshikata Mizuno, Eishi sassō Hakubunkan, Tōkyō, 1899, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152419290

Japan and the West

Topic

The arrival of the Portuguese on Japanese shores in 1543 marked the beginning of Japan’s first interactions with the West.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
The Japanese print set depicts the ceremonial scene of marriage of very high class couple, possibly the emperor and his would be wife; various traditionally Japanese customs can be observed, and at the same time, Western influences in clothing and decorations are also eminent.

Nobukazu Yōsai & 楊斎延一, Kōi konreishiki no zu Hasegawa Tsunejirō, Tōkyō, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151494111

The final act and the restoration

Topic

Dive into the transformative period of Japan's history as it transitioned from feudal isolation to modernisation with the decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
Painting of a man, woman and young child. The man is motioning towards a globe and the woman is passing an apple to the child.

Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp, Portrait of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter, 1637, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138417248

Early explorers

Topic 

Delve into the journeys of early European explorers, focusing on Abel Tasman’s significant contributions to Australian history. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
A large book open at a midway point. The paper is yellowed and stained. The writing is written in highly decorative cursive. The book is being held open on a stand which sits atop a richly varnished cabinet with draws and a fold out desk surface.

James Cook, John Hutchinson, Samuel Wallis and Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow, Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768-1771, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-228958440

Endeavour voyage

Topic 

Embark on a historical journey with the original journal of Lieutenant James Cook, detailing the HMS Endeavour's voyage from 1768 to 1771. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration

Need help?

Our librarians are here to guide you.

Ask a librarian