Hey History! – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Have you ever told the truth but it felt like no one listened? This episode is all about truth-telling.

Hey History! follows Travis Lovett, a proud Gunditjmara/Kerrupmara man and Commissioner at the Yoorrook Justice Commission, on a 400km 'Walk for Truth' across Victoria.

1. Who is Travis Lovett, and why is he going on a really, really long walk?
2. What is the Yoorrook Justice Commission?
3. What is 'truth-telling', and how can it happen with history?

Host Axel Clark and students from St Patrick’s Primary School join Travis on his Walk for Truth through Port Fairy.

Hear:

1. Why telling the truth is important—at school, at home, and in Australian history.
2. That 'history' isn’t fixed — it changes when new voices and stories are heard.
3. What is a 'commission'?
4. What difference does it make when we tell the truth about history?
5. How the Yoorrook Justice Commission has gathered stories and evidence over 4 years.

1. Travis Lovett, Yoorrook Justice Commissioner 2021-2025
2. Olga Lyons, Principal, St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy Victoria
3. Dr Matthew Keynes, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
4. Aunty Nellie Flagg's testimony to the Yoorrook Justice Commission (excerpt)
5. Uncle Henry Atkinson's story shared with the Yoorrook Justice Commission
6. Year Three and Four students of St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy Victoria
7. Rosa Ellen (voice actor for news report)

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal and Gunditjmara Country by Jane Curtis.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Production assistance from Alexandra Morris.
5. Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: St Patrick's Primary School, Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

Thank you

This episode was made possible by Dusseldorp Forum, a family foundation committed to a just and equitable Australia, one that is caring, ethical and honours our First Peoples.

Special thanks to Principal Olga Lyons and St Patrick's Primary School Port Fairy, Rosa Ellen, Rachel Fyfe and the Yoorrook team.

In this special live recording of Hey History! host Axel Clark asks historians Clare Wright, Anna Clark and Kiera Lindsey what historical objects can tell us about the past?

What can a piece of ochre tell us about Australia’s Deep Time History?

And what about a pair of South Australian pink shorts?

We ask kids what objects are special to them, and play guessing games with objects - including one that's in the Guinness Book of World Records!

This episode of Hey History! was recorded on Kaurna Country for the 2025 Schools Day of Adelaide Writers Week.

Many thanks to

1. Adelaide Festival, especially Suzanne Critchley, and Tahlia Greco
2. The History Trust of South Australia for the use of an image of Don Dunstan's shorts
3. National Museum of Australia for kindly granting permission and usage of images from their collection including: The water bottle of Robert O'Hara Bourke, a gold panning dish, and Chris the sheep

1. Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney.
2. Clare Wright is a Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University.
3. Kiera Lindsey is South Australia's History Advocate and an award-winning historian.

Photo of Hey History on stage live in front of primary school students in the Women's Pioneer Memorial Garden in Adelaide, South Australia.

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Produced on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright and Jane Curtis.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
6. Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

How do you teach and talk about Australian history with kids?

This is a bonus episode for teachers, carers and parents featuring Professor Anna Clark and Professor Clare Wright.

Teaching and talking about history with kids can be rewarding and challenging.

From their experience studying and teaching history, Clare and Anna tackle questions like:

1. How can kids in primary school work with history’s complexity?
2. How can primary students consider the moral lessons of what they're learning?
3. How do you encourage kids when they're interested in history but get some facts wrong?
4. What’s one crucial thing to get across to kids about history?

Anna and Clare look at a concern about saying the wrong thing when talking about Australian history, and look at how to do Reconciliation while teaching or talking about history with kids?

And you'll hear why asking questions is an important part of how you talk about history, and how to use primary sources and historical objects to connect kids with the history of our country.

1. Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney.
2. Clare Wright is a Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University.

Photo of Clare Wright (left) and Anna Clark (right) in the recording studio at University of Technology Sydney.

Thannoid by Blue Dot Sessions.

1. Download How to talk with kids about Australian history transcript in Word
2. Download How to talk with kids about Australian history transcript as PDF

1. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
2. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
3. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
4. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
5. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
6. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
7. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

What were the Gold Rushes? Why did people from all over the world get ‘gold fever’?

What was life like on the Ballarat goldfields of Victoria, on Wada Wurrung Country?

With so many different groups of people, how did everyone get along?

Did First Nations people mine gold too? What was the Eureka Stockade?

How did the Gold Rushes change Australia?

Students from Preshill Primary School and Westbourne Grammar in Melbourne tell us what they know about the Gold Rushes.

Fred Cahir, Andrew Pearce, Sarah Van de Wouw and an oral history about a Chinese miner share the different experiences of goldfields life.

1. Play all the way through (28 minutes) or play half the episode (14 minutes) and pause.
2. We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
3. Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class, and find more resources on our website.

1. Professor Fred Cahir is a professor in Australian History at Federation University.
2. Andrew Pearce is the Learning Program Leader at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat.
3. Sarah Van de Wouw is the Education Officer at the Eureka Centre, Ballarat.
4. Gabrielle Wang interviewed by Anna Zhu for the Australians with Chinese heritage oral history project, from the National Library of Australia online catalog.

Gold panning dish. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.

Lady Marie, Rush to the Clearing, Borough and Jespen by Blue Dot Sessions.

1. Download Gold Fever transcript in Word
2. Download Gold Fever transcript as PDF

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
6. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
7. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
8. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

Why did kids get transported from Britain to Australia?

What were their crimes? Did they miss their families?

What was life like as a convict in Van Dieman’s Land, an open air prison on Palawa land?

Students from Princes Street Primary School in Hobart tell us what they know about convict kids.

Hamish Maxwell-Stewart and Marcelle Mangan tell the story of transportation, convict tattoos and tokens, and convict life at the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart.

They answer kids’ questions and reflect on what the evidence can and can’t tell us about the convicts.

1. Play all the way through (32 minutes) or play half the episode (16 minutes) and pause.
2. We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
3. Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class, and find more resources on our website.

1. Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart is a specialist in convict history and is at the University of New England.
2. Marcelle Mangan is a tour guide at the Cascades Female Factory, Hobart.

Convict love token from J. Fletcher. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.

1. Download Convict kids transcript in Word
2. Download Convict kids transcript PDF

Music

Less Jaunty and Apollo Diedre by Blue Dot Sessions.

Credits

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
6. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
7. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
8. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

In 1770, Captain Cook got secret instructions to find the ‘Great South Land’.

His ship The Endeavour sailed into Kamay Botany Bay, the land of the Gweagal people.

How did the Gweagal people meet Captain Cook and his crew?

How did they communicate?

What happened over the eight days that Captain Cook stayed in Botany Bay?

Students from Marrickville West Primary School in Sydney tell us what they know about this encounter.

Ray Ingrey and Paul Irish, along with Captain Cook’s own diary, tell the story of this first meeting, answer kids’ questions, and reflect on how it went.

1. Play all the way through (23 minutes) or play half the episode (11 minutes) and pause.
2. We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
3. Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class, and find more resources on our website.

1. Ray Ingrey is a Dharawal person from the La Perouse Community. He is a Director of the Gujuga Foundation.
2. Paul Irish is a professional historian who has worked for the past twenty years with Aboriginal heritage and history.
3. Captain’s Cook diary is voiced by Nick Hopwood.

Gweagal spears reproduced with the permission of the Dharawal and La Perouse community, and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, formerly MAA D 1914.1-4

1. Download a transcript of First meetings at Kamay Botany Bay in Word
2. Download a transcript of First meetings at Kamay Botany Bay as PDF

Curiously and Curiously and Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions.

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
6. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
7. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
8. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

How did First Nations people learn before books, school and the internet?

What are some of the teaching places on Country? Can a cave or a beach be a classroom?

What’s the role of rock art, like engravings, stencils and prints, in the ‘oldest classroom’?

What are the different kinds of classrooms First Nations kids learn ion today?

Students at La Perouse Primary School in Sydney tell us what they know about how their ancestors learnt on Country.

Wayne Brennan and host Axel Clark visit a very old rock shelter on Dharug and Gundungurra Country. We hear about different kinds of rock art, learning when you’re ready and ways of passing down knowledge.

Merrikiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs invites us into her classroom at Yirrkala Bilingual School in North East Arnhem Land.

1. Play all the way through (24 minutes) or play half the episode (12 minutes) and pause.
2. We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
3. Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class, and find more resources on our website.

1. Wayne Brennan is an archaeologist at the University of Sydney , a Gamilaraay person and Blue Mountains custodian.
2. Merrikiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs is the Principal of Yirrkala Bilingual School, a Yolngu woman and leader.

Red ochre used in painting. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.

1. Download The Oldest Classroom transcript as Word
2. Download The Oldest Classroom transcript as PDF

Thannoid and Highway 94 by Blue Dot Sessions.

1. Hosted by Axel Clark
2. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen
3. Executive producers are Claire Wright and Anna Clark
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark
5. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe
6. Story editor is Kyla Slaven
7. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
8. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

A podcast all about Australian history where the kids ask the questions.

Go back in time to the Gold Rush. What happened at the meetings between Captain Cook and First Nations people at Kamay Botany Bay? Experience life as a convict kid, and hear how First Nations people learn on Country.

Each episode has music, stories, primary sources and sound-rich scenes with Australia's top historians and experts.

Listen to our 4 episodes in any order in the classroom.

Plus, there's an episode for teachers, parents and carers on How to talk with kids about Australian history.

Hey History! follows the Australian curriculum so teachers can use it in class for Stage 2 and 3, along with Learning Materials on our website heyhistory.net

It's made by two history professors and is produced by The Australian Centre for Public History and Impact Studios at the University of Technology Sydney, in partnership with La Trobe University.

1. Download Introducing… Hey History! in Word
2. Download Introducing… Hey History! as PDF

How do we teach the Frontier Wars with honesty, care, and confidence?

You'll hear from filmmaker Rachel Perkins, leading academic and advocate Professor Marcia Langton, Culture is Life CEO Belinda Duarte, senior secondary history teacher Bill Lewis, and Professor Melitta Hogarth of Ngarrngga at Melbourne University.

Together they dig into the questions many teachers are sitting with:

• What does truth-telling actually look like in practice?
• How do we teach histories of colonial violence with care?
• How can non-Indigenous teachers approach this work without fear of getting it wrong?

We're sharing a recording generously provided by Culture is Life and Ngarrngga, two organisations working at the intersection of First Nations knowledge, education, and advocacy.

Culture is Life is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit amplifying the voices of First Nations young people and championing education as a pathway to justice and truth-telling.

Ngarrngga is committed to ensuring all educators have access to Indigenous knowledge systems and the tools to embed them meaningfully in their teaching. Both organisations produce practical, curriculum-aligned resources to support teachers in this work.

• The Australian Wars website
• Watch The Australian Wars on SBS on Demand
• SBS Learn Understanding the Frontier Wars: clips with discussion questions and other classroom resources
• The Australian Wars book by Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray and Henry Reynolds
• Ngarrngga: free, high-quality curriculum resources and professional development modules, spanning all subject areas from Foundation to 10. A collaboration between the Faculty of Education, Indigenous Studies Unit and Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne
• Culture is Life: Free resources including The Australian Wars, Welcome to Country, First weapons, Stolen Generations, and The Australian Dream with Adam Goodes.
• Watch a video of the original panel https://www.ngarrngga.org/stories-news/teaching-the-australian-wars-panel

Panellists: Rachel Perkins, Arrernte/Kalkadoon (The Australian Wars filmmaker); Marcia Langton, Yiman/Bidjara (academic and cultural leader); Belinda Duarte, Wotjobaluk/Dja Dja Wurrung (CEO, Culture is Life); Bill Lewis (History Teacher, Haileybury College); and Professor Melitta Hogarth, Kamilaroi (Director, Ngarrngga, The University of Melbourne).

Episode host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Nearly half of Australian teachers say they don't feel confident to teach First Nations history, according to research.

Historian and educator Associate Professor Al Fricker explains why so many teachers feel underprepared — and why it's not a personal failing. He offers some straightforward first steps, including where to find good resources and how to start building real connections with your local First Nations community.

How can you embed First Nations perspectives and knowledge in your curriculum?

And what are some ways to embed them across your whole school?

You'll also hear from teachers around Australia sharing what’s worked in their classrooms and schools: using the AIATSIS languages map, teaching the Frontier Wars through local history, trying the Eight Ways Pedagogy, and building a curriculum map so Aboriginal perspectives aren't left to chance.

Associate Professor Al Fricker’s recommended resources made by or with First Nations people

• Ngarrngga: free, high-quality curriculum resources and professional development modules, spanning all subject areas from Foundation to 10. A collaboration between the Faculty of Education, Indigenous Studies Unit and Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne.
• Australians Together: free curriculum resources, covering key learning areas from Foundation to Year 10. A non-profit organisation developing resources with First Nations Educators.
• Matilda Education: progressive, research-based, differentiated print and digital content for your classroom - content that matches the latest Australian curricula.
• Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures: an essential, practical resource for pre- and in-service educators on creating contexts for success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Based on the latest research and practice, this book provides an in-depth understanding of the colonised context within which education in Australia is located, with an emphasis on effective strategies for the classroom.

Other resources and links

• AIATIS Map of Indigenous Australia
• AIATIS free teaching resources and learning sequences including First Fighters
• AIATSIS Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources
• Yabun Survival Day Sydney
• Colonial Frontier Massacre Map: Colonial Frontier Massacres, Australia, 1788 to 1930 and Introduction to the map by the University of Newcastle, Australia
• Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site: features an Aboriginal red-ochre painting, which is believed to be of a Tasmanian tiger (thylacine), supporting the belief that the animal once inhabited the mainland. The site is 20 minutes from Beechworth, NSW.
• 8 Ways framework: a NSW Department of Education initiative

Tipsheet

• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

• The Monash Australian Teachers Survey 2023 reported teachers’ views of how well their Initial Teacher Education program prepared them to teach the Australian Curriculum’s priority areas (referring to Student Diversity, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture) were relatively divided, with 54% feeling prepared, and 45% saying they are unprepared.
• Burns, E.C., Plummer, L., Vass, G. et al. Which resources support teachers to embed Indigenous perspectives? A convergent mixed methods analysis. Aust. Educ. Res.53, 26 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00944-z
• Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 1991: National Report Volume 5, Recommendations for Educating the Future

Educators: Associate Professor Al Fricker (Victoria), and from New South Wales: Sarah Kearney, Martin Douglas, Jade Carr, Nik Armstrong, Uncle Terry Lennis and Ruth Bradfield-Ling.

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.