SYDNEY: STORY OF A CITY Study Guide. CONTENTS Page

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "SYDNEY: STORY OF A CITY Study Guide. CONTENTS Page"

Sharon Jordan
6 years ago
Views:

1 SYDNEY: STORY OF A CITY Study Guide CONTENTS Page Film Synpsis 2 Meet Curriculum Outcmes 3 Student Activities While n Excursin 4 Discvery Walk #1: City Nrth & The Rcks 5 Discvery Walk #2: The Architecture Walk 6 Film Quiz 8 Activities fr the Classrm 9 Yur Family Tree 10 LG IMAX Theatre Sydney 31 Wheat Rd DARLING HARBOUR NSW 2000 Schl Bkings: Ph: (02) Fax: (02) sydgrups@imax.cm.au Web: Sydney: Stry f a City Page 1

2 FILM SYNOPSIS Frm Bndi t the Harbur Bridge, frm the Opera Huse t the cnvict built Hyde Park Barracks yu ll uncver the stry behind Australia s first city. Starring Lucy Bell and Paul Mercuri, the film tells the stry f a yung English girl wh arrives in the sprawling and vibrant city f Sydney in search f her Australian ancestrs. During her quest much f the histry and legends f the city unfld such as its cnvict rigins, clnial develpment, the cnflict with the riginal inhabitants and the grwth f Sydney int ne f the great mdern and culturally diverse cities f the wrld. Virginia (Lucy Bell) arrives in the sprawling and vibrant city f Sydney in search f her Austrlaian ancestrs. Her grandfather, William Rbertsn, had fund himself in Lndn in 1939 and jined the RAAF at the utbreak f WW2. He fell in lve with an English girl, and married her. Sn afterward he was killed in an air battle ver France. Virginia's few clues t her grandfather and his Australian family included sme mements and dcuments that he had taken t England nearly sixty years ag. During Virginia's quest t find her ancestrs, much f the histry and legends f the city unfld. Its cnvict rigins, its clnial develpment, cnflict with the riginal inhabitants, the ntin f ''Natinhd'' and the grwth f Sydney frm an insignificant penal clny int ne f the great mdern and culturally diverse cities f the wrld. Virginia's quest is helped when she finds a reference t a Rbertsn in Cumberland Street in The Rcks. When she arrives at the address she discvers an archelgical dig is in prgress n the site where ld clnial cttages nce std. Here she meets Marc (Paul Mercuri), a yung archelgist, wrking n site. When her quest is cmplete and it is time t return hme, Virginia discvers that she has fallen in lve, nt nly with Marc, but als with the city f Sydney. Directed by Australia s Bruce Beresfrd and filmed by acclaimed cinematgrapher Geff Burtn. An extremely ppular film with schls. Ideal as a resurce fr HSIE Stages 2-3. Themes: Histry f Sydney; early settlement; Abriginal histry; invasin and cnflict; Sydney as a mdern city; turism, gegraphy f Sydney, Australian identity Curriculum Links: HSIE: Gegraphy, Histry; Australian Studies Levels: Mid-Primary t Lwer Secndary Sydney: Stry f a City Page 2

3 MEET CURRICULUM OUTCOMES Sydney: Stry f a City has wide educatinal relevance t teachers and students f bth Primary and Secndary schls. Imprtant links t the curriculum can be made thrugh the fllwing themes: AUSTRALIAN HISTORY The histry f Australia is traced frm Abriginal Australia t mdern times, including the arrival f Arthur Phillip, transprtatin f cnvicts, explratin, the gld rush, Federatin, invlvement in the tw wrld wars, immigratin and multiculturalism. ARCHITECTURE Sydney s unique architectural style is explred alng with the influence f architect s such as Sir Francis Greenway and Jern Utzn. Archival shts f the spectacular Garden Palace are featured, as well as excellent views and infrmatin n imprtant buildings such as The Opera Huse, the Harbur Bridge, St James Church, The Sydney Twn Hall and Gvernment Huse. ARCHAEOLOGY Students are shwn a real architectural dig, the Cumberland Street dig in The Rcks, where many imprtant discveries abut Sydney s early life have been made. This film shws hw artefacts fund at the dig reveal infrmatin previusly unknwn t us. GENEALOGY The film fllws a stry f a girl frm England wh is tracing her family histry in Sydney. This is nt nly an ideal vehicle fr tracing Sydney s histry in a persnal way, but t pen issues related t tracing ne s ancestrs, and the discveries that can be made. Sydney: Stry f a City Page 3

4 STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHILE ON EXCURSION While in the city at yur screening f the IMAX film Sydney: Stry f a City, take yur students n ne f tw Discvery Walks f Sydney. Visit many f the imprtant histrical sites and buildings featured in the film. Plus, visit the mst picturesque parts f the city at the same time. WALK ONE: AROUND THE QUAY AND THE ROCKS Visit: 1.The Btanic Gardens 2. Gvernment Huse 3. The Opera Huse 4. Custms Huse 5. ASN C. Building in The Rcks 6. The Cumberland Street dig Catch a bus frm the IMAX Theatre Sydney t Circular Quay. Visit the sites in numerical rder, lunching smewhere scenic n the way. Have yur buses pick yu up frm The Rcks area. WALK TWO: THE ARCHITECTURE WALK Visit: 1.St Mary s Cathedral 2. Hyde Park Barracks 3. St James Church 4. The Old Sydney Mint 5. The Rum Hspital 6. State Parliament 7. Mitchell Library 8. The gates f The Garden Palace Catch a bus frm the IMAX Theatre Sydney t Hyde Park. Visit the sites in rder and eat lunch smewhere scenic n the way. Have yur buses pick yu up frm The Btanic Gardens Entrance. Alternately fllw up yur IMAX experience with: A visit t the Museum f Sydney A visit t the Art Gallery f NSW A walk acrss the Harbur Bridge A visit t the Twn hall and the Queen Victria Building Sydney: Stry f a City Page 4

5 CITY AND THE ROCKS WALK 1. Mark these sites n yur map when yu find them. 2. In the spaces prvided, sketch a small area f detail f each building. Cumberland Street dig In the space that wuld be nly a cuple f building blcks in the suburbs, the dig uncvered evidence f 30 buildings, built between 1795 and It delivered up thusands f bits and pieces f Sydneysiders lives, including plates, pennies, gambling chips, brken dlls and clay pipes. (The Cumberland Street dig site can nly be viewed thrugh the prtective wire fence) ASN C. Building This Flemish style building was built in 1883 fr the Australian Stream Navigatin Cmpany and it is knwn as the ASNC building althugh it has had many tenants. It was restred t its 1880s appearance in the early 1990s. Custms Huse This building perated as a custms huse frm the 1840s until its recent cnversin t a cultural and exhibitin centre. This inclusin f the prminent clck signifies the grwing imprtance f hurs and minutes, as fewer jbs were tied t the rising and setting f the sun, and mre t ffice time. Sydney: Stry f a City Page 5

6 THE ARCHITECTURE WALK 1. Mark these sites n yur map when yu find them. 2. In the spaces prvided, sketch a small area f detail f each building. St Mary s Cathedral There has been mre that ne church n the site f St Mary s Cathedral. Gvernr Macquarie laid the fundatin stne fr the first ne, and when this burnt dwn in 1865, Sydney s Irish Cathlics built a much grander ne. The tw great spires f the Cathedral were finished in Hyde Park Barracks The Barracks were designed by architect, Sir Francis Greenway, The building has had many functins such as husing cnvicts, female immigrants, gvernment agencies and law curts. It is nw a museum. St James Church This church was designed by cnvict architect, Sir Francis Greenway. He is admired fr his eye fr perfect prprtin and his ability t identify with the terrain, t grasp its nature and its character. The Opera Huse Built n Bennelng Pint, Sydney s Opera Huse was pened by the Queen in 1973, furteen years after it was cmmenced. Danish architect, Jern Utzn wn a cmpetitin with his design, which was a challenge feat t cnstruct frm an engineering pint f view, adding t the plitical cntrversy f the prject. Sydney: Stry f a City Page 6

7 Gvernment Huse Built in the 1840s, while the twn was underging a majr depressin, it was intended t represent British pwer with stability. Built in a mck gthic style, its grand style was ut f keeping with the reduced pwers f the clnial gvernrs. The Btanic Gardens The reasn fr establishing the gardens was t advance btanical research by cllecting new plants and experimenting with which existing plants wuld thrive in the new wrld. Mst peple find the gardens a place fr relaxatin and delight. A statute f A Hunter and his Dgs was the nly item saved frm The Garden Palace fire. It is still n the site. See if yu can find it & draw it The Rum Hspital Part f this ld hspital is n incrprated int the building which is the Parliament f NSW. The ther wing has becme the Sydney Museum. Between the tw ld wings f the Old Rum Hspital is a functining hspital, the plans f which were apprved by Flrence Nightingale. On the ftpath is a brnze statute f a wild bar. Tuching its nse is said t bring gd luck. Draw this statue here. The Mitchell Library Here is ne f the great cllectins f bks n Australian Histry. It is named after David Sctt Mitchell wh started cllecting bks as a yung by and eventually dnated his entire cllectin t peple f NSW. On the flr f the library s fyer is a msaic map based n the chart f an early Dutch explrer. The Gates f The Garden Palace Built fr Sydney s Internatinal Exhibitin f 1879, this amazing building was destryed in 1882 in a spectacular fire. It wed much in its design t Lndn s Crystal Palace, especially the view f their city and harbur laid ut in panrama. The gates are a clue t the shape f the Garden Palace. Why? Sydney: Stry f a City Page 7

8 SYDNEY: STORY OF A CITY STUDENT QUIZ 1. Where was the twn f Sydney t be riginally lcated? 2. Hw many prisners were sent t NSW ver 55 years f transprtatin? 3. Wh were the Abriginal inhabitants f Sydney Cve? 4. Hw many years had Abriginals inhabited Australia befre white settlement? 5. Where did the first fleet land? 6. What was the Garden Palace built fr? 7. Why is the Garden Palace n lnger there? 8. What is the nly remaining evidence f the Garden Palace? 9. When did cnvict transprtatin t Sydney end? 10. What effect n the clny did crssing the Blue Muntains have? 11. When was the Sydney Twn Hall cmpleted? 12. What building material gives Sydney buildings their character? 13. When did Gvernr Macquarie arrive? 14. Wh was an architect amngst the cnvicts? 15. When was the Cmmnwealth f Australia frmed? 16. When was the Sydney Harbur Bridge cmpleted? 17. What was a difficulty encuntered in the cnstructin f the Harbur Bridge? 18. Where is the site f the Opera Huse and wh is it named after? 19. What was the natinality f the architect f the Opera Huse? 20. When did surfing start in Sydney? Sydney: Stry f a City Page 8

9 STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM Australian Histry Students wrk in small grups and select an aspect f Sydney s histry fr their grup t research. Each grup presents its findings t the class. Examples may be: Cnvict transprtatin Abriginal Australia Federatin The Gld Rush Multiculturalism Explrers: Wh were they? Genealgy Have students research and draw their family trees. Interview parents and grandparents abut their family histry Bring in an ld pht r dcument t shw class Architecture Have students research an architect f a famus Sydney building such as the Opera Huse r Hyde Park Barracks. Make a mdel f a prminent Sydney building Hld a discussin n issues raised by the film: - Why shuld histric buildings be preserved? - What directins shuld be taken in the future develpment f Sydney? - What criteria shuld be cnsidered when listing buildings fr preservatin? Fllw this discussin with a debate n the tpic: That n further demlitin shuld take place in the city f Sydney. Archaelgy Students research ther famus archaelgical digs in the wrld, such as thse in Egypt, Italy and Greece. Make a time capsule f items that wuld be telling abut life in Sydney as we reach the new millennium. This culd be cmputer designed and becme a virtual time capsule. Sydney: Stry f a City Page 9

10 YOUR FAMILY TREE Cmplete yur details in the Family Tree belw. Include in each space, the name, birth date and place f birth: YOU First Name Surname Birth Date Place Yur Parent # 1 Yur Parent # 2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Grandparent #1 Grandparent #2 Sydney: Stry f a City Page 10

Shuttles are scheduled ONLY when there is a reservation. Without reservations we DO NOT travel.

Custmer Agreement / Cmpany Plicies Shuttles are scheduled ONLY when there is a reservatin. Withut reservatins we DO NOT travel. (Excluding Hlidays) Reservatins must be prepaid with a credit card. Please