Education Programs at the Beechworth Historic Precinct
Welcome to the Beechworth Historic Precinct!
The Historic Precinct has developed an exciting range of interactive programs for students that link to specific curriculum outcomes and complement each other. Each program is led by a fun and engaging educator or tour guide.
The Beechworth Historic Precinct's collection and buildings are a valuable teaching resource. Our excursion activities are interactive sessions delivered in and around historically significant locations, using primary sources and museum collections to provide a rich, immersive learning experience for your students.
Nine programs cover a range of subjects and learning outcomes currently taught in Australian schools.
They include:
- The Historic Courthouse Kelly Trials Experience which immerses students in a 270-degree, wrap-around multimedia experience, telling stories of crime and punishment, governance and the law and the bushranger Ned Kelly.
- Our Gold Fever program invites students to step into the shoes of historical Beechworth figures, try their luck at panning for gold in a ‘creek’ and discover why a diverse range of people migrated to Victoria during the 1850s.
- How Granny Lived teaches F-4 primary students about life in their grandparent’s day compared with their lives now using objects from the Burke Museum’s collection as teaching aids.
- Cultural Crossroads for Years 3 to 6 looks at the people who lived in Beechworth before and after the gold rush and explores the push and pull reasons of why so many came so far to build new lives.
- Years 7-9 students can become forensic archaeologists examining conditions on the goldfields, quality of life, health, disease and 19th century medicine in History Mystery.
We look forward to hosting your school.
Precinct Pass - $15.00 per student, staff free of charge
Includes a choice of 3 of the following programs:
1. Kelly Trials Exhibition, 45 minutes
2. Facilitated Burke Museum Program, 45 minutes
3. Gold, Fortune and Felony Walking Tour, 45 minutes
4. Facilitated Telegraph Station Program, 45 minutes
A self-guided History Hunt activity can be provided free of charge with a Precinct Student Pass package.
Our programs can also be booked individually (download the education program linked above for individual pricing).
For further information contact our Education Officers.
T: 03 5728 8067
Burke Museum and Beechworth Historic Precinct Programs
How Granny Lived
Burke Museum
Levels F-4, 45 minute session
Explore household objects from the collection of the Burke Museum and think about how much life has changed! This interactive program held in the Burke Museum allows students to view rarely seen objects from the collection that "Granny" used. Students engage in critical and creative thinking to make suggestions about what these items might have been used for and consider how they have evolved over time. Students are encouraged to develop an understanding of similarities and differences between their lives today and the lives of their grandparents and ancestors.
Cultural Crossroads
Burke Museum
Levels 3-6, 45 minute session
Discover some of the different cultural groups living in Beechworth before and during the Gold Rush. These include First Nations, Chinese and European. Students will reflect on themes of identity, culture, and respect. Cultural Crossroads is an interactive program held in the Burke Museum. This session looks at some of the causes and reasons why people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia. Students are provided with the opportunity to learn more about the role that people of diverse backgrounds have played in the development of the local Beechworth community over time and the interactions between different cultural groups in early Beechworth.
History Mystery
Burke Museum
Levels 7-10, 45 minute session
An interactive skills-based program that engages critical and creative thinking to discover the identity of a fictional goldfields skeleton! Students will become Forensic Archaeologists as they work in groups and consider the evidence before solving the identity of a mystery skeleton recently uncovered. During this program, students learn about conditions on the goldfields, quality of life, and health issues. They discover diseases prevalent during this time and learn about some common treatments. Students are also introduced to the many dangers of gold mining in1800s Beechworth. Students engage their critical thinking skills and learn new methods to solve this historical mystery!
Fools, Fortune and Folklore – NEW!
Burke Museum
Levels 5-10, 45 minute session
Students will explore and compare the lives of Beechworth citizens of the 1850's. Delivered through engaging games, they will discover some of the surprising and absurd stories of some of the people who moved to Australia during the gold rush and settled in Beechworth.
By comparing the experiences of different migrants at each stage of their life, students will build an understanding of the push and pull factors of migration, and the difficult living conditions and life experiences of many people on the gold fields.
Back Where They Belong: How museums have changed
Burke Museum
Levels 7-9, 45 minute session
This program provides an insight into the ethics and morals which guide modern museum practices, including changes in the collection and management of First Nations cultural items.
Through consideration of items related to the Burke Museum's collection, students will learn about ethical collection practices and the importance of respecting cultural artefacts. Students will gain an understanding of the museum's history and how the recent repatriation of a collection of cultural objects stored in the museum for over 150 years has led to building more positive relationships with their traditional owners. Students will become Collection Managers examining primary and secondary sources to discuss and debate the fate of a group of objects.
Gold, Fortune and Felony Walking Tour
Beechworth Town
All year levels, 45-minute session
Visit the location of significant events and walk in the footsteps of historical figures in Beechworth's history. This outdoors guided walking tour allows students to visit some historic locations in Beechworth while listening to stories from our local tour guides. Students will hear about famous individuals, including Elizabeth Scott, Ned Kelly, Ellen Kelly, Harry Power, and Robert O'Hara Burke. Teachers can choose to focus more on the Gold Rush or Ned Kelly history; just let us know when you book.
Kelly Trials Exhibition
Historic Courthouse
Levels F-12, 1 hour session
Remember the saying 'if these walls could talk'? Well, the walls of the Beechworth Courthouse actually do!
Students are immersed in a 270-degree, wrap-around audio-visual experience telling the stories of crime and punishment, governance, law, and the bushranger Ned Kelly. After the presentation students are engaged in an interactive staff-lead program where a curriculum-linked question is posed about the Kelly story and they are asked to participate in a jury vote before discussing why they supported ‘one side over the other’ on their particular issue.
Students are then encouraged to explore the rest of the courthouse and delve into more stories of the people who walked the historic halls.
Gold Fever
Beechworth Historic Precinct
Levels 3-9, 45 minute session
An interactive skills-based program that engages students in the skill of gold panning and develops a deeper understanding of the causes and reasons why people migrated to Australia.
Students step into the shoes of a historical figure from Beechworth and try their luck panning for gold in our artificial creek. The program assists students in discovering the diversity of backgrounds and reasons why people migrated to Victoria during the 1850s. Students will compare the average yearly wages of several different occupations with what they have collected from their gold pans to decide whether to stay in Beechworth or follow fortune elsewhere.
The Mystery of Morse
Beechworth Telegraph Station
Levels 5-10, 45 minute session
Students will learn about the history of Morse Code and explore the Beechworth Telegraph Station during this hands-on program.
Students will engage in a discussion about communication in the 1800s and compare and contrast how this has changed over the years. Students can test their Morse Code skills in an interactive session and examine and compare various telephones and communication devices of the past.
Classroom Activities
Learn about Morse Code with our online telegrams. Fill out the online form or contact us for more information.
Explore our collection online at Victorian Collections.
The Powder Magazine is where students can see the history of gunpowder used for blasting on the goldfields. Access the online tour of the Powder Magazine here and learn more about this incredible site.
