Gold Rush Inquiry Unit – Explore the Legacy of the Gold Rush in Australia

Bring Australia’s rich gold rush history to life in your classroom with this comprehensive Australian Gold Rush Inquiry Unit. Designed to align with the Australian Curriculum, this engaging resource provides everything you need to guide students through a detailed inquiry into the discovery of gold, its impact on settlement and democracy, and iconic events such as the Eureka Stockade.

Perfect for upper primary classrooms, this pack supports historical thinking and critical inquiry while integrating literacy, numeracy, and the arts. Students will investigate key events like Blood on the Southern Cross and uncover stories of resilience, innovation, and change that shaped Australia's identity.

What’s Inside:

• Full Australian Curriculum references with appropriate Australian spelling
• Clear Inquiry Unit Outline to support your planning
• Key Understandings and Essential Inquiry Questions
• KWHL Chart, Word Wall, themed spelling words, and an Alphabet Key
• “Google It” prompts to boost digital literacy
• Activities exploring gold discovery locations, mining methods, and multiple intelligences
• Lessons on gold towns, mining tools, and the economics of the goldfields
• Life on the Goldfields tasks, including Venn diagrams and flow charts
• Focus on the Eureka Stockade: students draw, label, and interpret historical events
• Research tasks for famous figures in gold rush history, with templates for summaries and notes
• Printable items for display to create a visually rich learning environment
• Ten engaging writing tasks, each connected to oral language skills
• Cross-curricular extension ideas in Maths, ICT, and Visual Arts
• Homework options to strengthen home-school links

Blue text throughout the unit indicates editable templates to guide student work and streamline classroom preparation.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

This unit promotes active inquiry, encourages historical empathy, and provides differentiated learning opportunities. With well-structured content and cross-curricular links, it supports a seamless teaching experience while empowering students to take ownership of their learning.

Copyright © Paula’s Place

This resource is for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you plan to share across multiple classrooms. Redistribution without consent is prohibited.

Let your students strike gold with this powerful unit of work!