Old Treasury Building

Cross Curriculum:

EXPLORE THE OLD TREASURY BUILDING
Levels 3 to 10
The Old Treasury Building was built in the 1850s to store gold and to provide offices for the leaders of the young colony, including the Governor. It was designed by the 19 year old John James Clark. Discover some of the 150 year history of the Old Treasury Building. Visit the Executive Council Chamber upstairs and the historic gold vaults and Caretaker’s apartment downstairs.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & DESTRUCTION
Levels 3 - 6
Geography & History
When Europeans arrived in Melbourne they found a pristine landscape, untouched by human hands, or so they thought. Local First Nations people had lived on and cared for the land for thousands of years, shaping it to their needs.
This cross-curriculum program looks at geography from a historic perspective, using Victoria to illustrate global ideas on a local scale. Learn how the location of Melbourne was decided and the actions taken when the Yarra River flooded the city. Discover how a rush for precious metal in the 1850s accelerated deforestation and habitat loss.

HUMAN GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCE
Levels 7 - 10
Geography & History
For 7 years Melbourne was the world’s most liveable city. But what does that mean, and how did we get there? This cross-curriculum program examines two of Melbourne’s catalysts of change: colonisation and the gold rush. The urbanisation of Melbourne could not occur without major population growth. Students will consider the residential distribution in Victoria over time, and the ways its people have altered the natural and built environments of Melbourne. Discover the Yarra River’s history of flooding, and the many ways Melbourne’s citizens have lived with water.

Civics and Citizenship:

GOVERNANCE
Levels 3 to 6
Civics & Citizenship
Visit the Governor of Victoria’s Executive Council Chamber. Discuss the role and responsibilities of the Governor and the Executive Council. Consider the role of the Eureka Stockade in the history of Victorian citizens’ right to vote. Review the path to Federation and Melbourne as Australia’s first capital.

VICTORIAN DEMOCRACY
Levels 7 to 10
Civics & Citizenship
Discover how gold rush immigrants helped shape democracy in the new colony of Victoria and the struggles for recognition of voting rights. Discuss the Ballarat Reform League, Eureka and the origins of the secret ballot, women’s suffrage and First Nations rights. Visit the Executive Council Chamber to discuss the role of the Governor and the Executive Council, both past and present.

VCE LEGAL STUDIES
VCE Units 1, 2, 3 & 4
Visit the Executive Council Chamber to discuss the role of the Governor, the Executive Council and the relationship of executive government to Parliament. Discuss Federation and the drafting of the Australian Constitution. Explore other exhibition spaces to examine the development of democratic processes in Victoria and the ways in which various rights were established and protected.

Early Melbourne:

FROM COLONY TO STATE
Levels 5 & 6
History: The Australian Colonies
Investigate the colonisation of Melbourne, from early settlement to the city’s role as capital of Australia after Federation. Discover some of the events and people who have shaped Victoria. Discuss the democratic history of Victoria including the Eureka Rebellion and voting rights.

FROM COLONIAL OUTPOST TO CAPITAL CITY
Levels 9 & 10
History: The Making of the Modern World
Trace the development of Melbourne from an isolated village to bustling city. Examine the impact of colonisation on First Nations people. Explore the role of Melbourne as capital of Australia following Federation, including the class divide fuelled by high unemployment and a Depression.

IMAGINING AUSTRALIA
VCE Unit 1- Change and Conflict
Ideology and conflict
Social and cultural change

Unit 3- Australian History
Creating a nation (1834–1913)
Power and resistance (1788–1913)
Drawing on key onsite exhibitions, students will consider various factors that influenced European attitudes to First Nations people by examining primary and secondary documents. They will reflect on the gold rush population increase, and how various members of the community were treated at the time. Social balance is considered with individual rights and freedoms, including voting rights, and the class divide with high unemployment and a Depression as major contributors.

Gold:

THE IMPACT OF THE GOLD RUSH
Levels 5 & 6
History: The Australian Colonies
Explore the former gold vaults to discover the story of Victorian gold. Discuss Eureka and the struggle for democracy. Find out how Victoria’s newfound riches shaped Melbourne. Discuss the impact of immigration on the colony including the local First Nations population.

THE EFFECTS OF GOLD ON VICTORIA
Levels 9 & 10
History: The Making of the Modern World
Explore the building and discover more about 1850s Melbourne and the legacy of the Victorian gold rush, including the impact on First Nations peoples. Discover how gold-rush immigrants helped shape democracy in the new colony of Victoria and learn about the struggle for democratic rights for both men and women. Examine vistas of the city of Melbourne to track change over a significant portion of time.