Take a different look at how we became Australia!
The Upside-Down History of Downunder
The story of Australia starts with a piece of land that went for a swim. About 200 million years ago it floated away from Africa. Very…very…slowly… For a long time this wild and wonderful land was a mystery to the rest of the world. So how did we end up as Australia?
If you’ve heard about dinosaurs or the Dreaming, or convicts and Captains, but you don’t know how they fit together…
If you love stories about rebels, riches, rights and wrongs…
If you like truth that is stranger than fiction…
The Upside-Down History of Downunder has all that and more. In ways you might not expect.
The story of Australia starts with a piece of land that went for a swim. About 200 million years ago it floated away from Africa. Very…very…slowly… For a long time this wild and wonderful land was a mystery to the rest of the world. So how did we end up as Australia?
If you’ve heard about dinosaurs or the Dreaming, or convicts and Captains, but you don’t know how they fit together…
If you love stories about rebels, riches, rights and wrongs…
If you like truth that is stranger than fiction…
The Upside-Down History of Downunder has all that and more. In ways you might not expect.
ISBN: 9780143788669
Winner NSW Premier’s History Award
This unique and lively introduction to Australia’s history… finds the humour and pathos…Ranging from the separation of Gondwana 200 million years ago to Federation in 1901, and from Aboriginal hand-signs to the Rum Rebellion, this is a history with something for all young readers…Alison Lloyd’s witty and absorbing prose is beautifully matched by Terry Denton’s irreverent illustrations.‘
Judges Comments, NSW Premier’s History Award, young people’s category, 2019
A great Australian version of “Horrible Histories”
Goodreads reviewer
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Australia's Ancient Animals
Take a tour deep into the dens of the Melbourne Museum. Get an up-close look at some of Australia’s dinosaurs and megafauna!
Life in Colonial Australia
What was it like living in Australia in the old days, when we were ruled by England’s Queen Victoria?
Australia was changing fast. Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide were busy towns. Thousands of people had come to seek their fortune. But life wasn’t easy, and it was really different to today.
How would you have coped? Find out more – click the links below.
Fashion in 1841
Victorian clothes were very different to ours, especially female clothes. Women wore long dresses with very big skirts. Girls’ clothes were similar, but their skirts didn’t reach the floor. Until about the age of five, little boys wore frilly dresses!
Sailing to Australia
The only way to get to Australia in the old days was by ship. Sailing to Australia was tough. Ships were crowded and uncomfortable. Hundreds of people were crammed onto a wooden boat, about 10 metres wide by 35 metres long. That’s a bit longer and thinner than a netball court. For months and months…
Food in 1841
Did people in the past eat the same food as us?
No. Food in colonial Australia was plain – no pizzas, pastas or Asian takeaway. An 1846 recipe book called Modern Cookery (!) has recipes you probably will not like. And some you probably will.
Mrs Chisholm’s Immigrants Home
New South Wales wanted more women in 1841. But when the young women and girls got off the ships in Sydney, they often had nowhere to go.
One woman, Mrs Caroline Chisholm, was determined to do something to help.
Australian History Resources for Teachers
Here are free resources based on The Upside-Down History of Downunder, to help you engage students with Australian history.
Teachers Notes include:
- curriculum links
- themes
- classroom ideas
- and more
Bibliography contains
- comprehensive list of sources
- including for each quote cited in the book
- and indigenous custodians of traditional knowledge consulted