1. The oldest classroom
Red ochre used in painting. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.
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 on 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, in the Blue Mountains of NSW.
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.
Episode outline with timecodes
A quick overview of the episode, with a section heading, the times in minutes and seconds, and a short description of the section.
eg “School visit to La Perouse Primary School: 2:08 - 3:25
Students on Bidjigal Country share their ideas about how ancestors may have learned through stories, Elders and rock art.“
Transcripts
Voices
Wayne Brennan is an archaeologist at the University of Sydney, a Gamilaraay person and Blue Mountains custodian.
Merrikiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs is the Principal of Yirrkala Bilingual School, a Yolngu woman and leader.
Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this series, 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.
Use this episode in class
Play all the way through (23 minutes) or play half the episode (11 minutes) and pause.
We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
Get the Curriculum guide and Scope and Sequence for your state or the Australian Curriculum.
Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class
More learning resources
National Museum of Australia
Digital Classroom: Petroglyphs and pictographs
Big Idea 2: We can learn about Aboriginal culture in ancient Australia from archaeology
ABC Education
Australian Museum
Reconciliation Action Plans
Reconciliation Action Plans and schools by Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education
Learning on Country at Yirrkala Bilingual School
Learning on Country: From the Facebook page of Yirrkala Bilingual School
Learning on Country: From the Facebook page of Yirrkala Bilingual School
News
Archeologists find the highest human-occupied ice age site in Australia
Wayne Brennan, the Gomeroi archaeologist in this episode, and Dr Amy Mosig Way, a research archaeologist at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum, found evidence of the highest human-occupied ice age site in Australia - also in the Blue Mountains, NSW.
Read more in The Guardian, 17 June 2025.
Music
Thannoid and Highway 94 by Blue Dot Sessions.
How to cite this episode:
Clark, A., Curtis, J., Wright, C., & Jorgensen, B. (2024, June 11). ‘The oldest classroom’. Hey History! (Season 1). UTS Impact Studios. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11557916