McCrae Education Program

Education program VIC

Students experience two perspectives of how life would have been at McCrae Homestead through European and Indigenous cultural heritage interpretation.

Discover a unique experience at the McCrae Homestead by exploring the parallel experiences of the McCrae family and the Bunurong community in the 1840s. Accessed through Georgiana McCrae’s personal diaries, her son George McCrae’s diary accounts, family letters, sketches and paintings, the program shares what is anecdotally considered a mutually respectful relationship between the Bunurong people and the McCrae family. This interpretation is supported by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and is one that we have permission to share. 

 

Cross-Cultural Program

Foundation – Level 6

Join our educators for a day of hands-on historical fun and discovery at McCrae Homestead.

Step back in time to learn about the lives of the Bunurong people, who have lived in the area for tens of thousands of years, learning some of their creation stories, exploring various painted symbols and their meanings as well as visiting a Willum (hut) on site. This activity invites students to consider the change that occurred for First Peoples post-colonisation, as well as the change in the landscape of the Mornington Peninsula.

Explore the 1840s homestead, discuss the McCrae family’s reasons for choosing to settle in Australia, and discover how children in the 1800s played, learned, entertained themselves, slept, went to the toilet, and ate, comparing the McCrae’s experiences to those of your own.

Get ready for some hard work, visiting the old kitchen and discovering how much effort went into something like making breakfast, churning some butter which you can then take home.

Jump into some old-fashioned games on the lawn, engaging in 1800s fun and frivolity with quoits, sack races and more!

Curriculum links for Foundation to Level 2
SubjectStrandSub-strandContent descriptionsStudents will…
HistoryHistorical knowledge and understandingPersonal historiesdifferences in family structures and roles and how these have changed or remained the same over timeUncover the societal pressures faced by families in the past, and how the life of the McCrae family differs from families today.
VC2HH2K02
   differences and similarities between students’ daily lives and how these have changed or remained the same over timeDiscover how children in the past played and identify some similarities as well as some differences.
VC2HH2K03
  Community historiesthe history of a local historical site of social, cultural or spiritual significance and how it has changed over timeLearn about the social significance of McCrae Homestead, and the Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Wonga to the Bunurong people and how it has changed over time.
VC2HH2K05
   the consequences of changing technologies on people’s lives at home, and the ways they worked, travelled and communicated in the pastGet their hands dirty, using 1800s domestic technologies to discover how they affected daily life and the differences to today.
VC2HH2K06
 Historical Concepts and SkillsContinuity and Changeidentify examples of continuity and change by comparing the past and presentCompare lives in the 1800s to lives in the present day.
VC2HH2S05
  Causes and Consequencesidentify the causes and consequences of changesDiscuss why the invention of new domestic technologies had an influence on daily life.
VC2HH2S06
Design and TechnologiesTechnologies contextsFood and fibre productionexplore how plants and animals are grown for food, clothing and shelterExplore how vital the landscape and agriculture was to both the Bunurong people and the McCrae family in ensuring they had enough food, discovering how milk was turned into butter in a practical demonstration.
VC2TDE2C02
Intercultural CapabilityCultural Diversity cultural diversity in familiar places, including the school and/or local communityExplore the cultural diversity of the local area.
VC2CI2D01
Curriculum links for Levels 3 & 4
SubjectStrandSub-strandContent descriptionsStudents will…
HistoryHistorical knowledge and understandingCommunity, Remembrance and Celebrationcauses and consequences of changes in a local community and the contributions and experiences of people from diverse backgrounds to a local communityDiscover how the Bunurong people and the McCrae’s contributed to the local area.
VC2HH4K02
  Early colonisation of Australia to c. 1800different interpretations of the early colonisation of Australia, including why British colonisation is interpreted as an invasion, and Terra NulliusExplore the meaning of Terra Nullius, and how the story of the Bunurong people, as told by the McCrae family refutes this claim.
VC2HH4K10
 Historical Concepts and SkillsCauses and Consequencesdescribe the causes and consequences of changeDescribe the cause of colonisation of Victoria, and the consequences for different people.
VC2HH4S07
Intercultural CapabilityCulture, Identity, and Belonging understandings that can be gained from intercultural experiences, including a critical perspective on, and respect for, diverse cultures, including their ownUnderstand what the McCrae family learned from their interactions with the Bunurong people.
VC2CI4C02Hear about the McCrae family's interactions with the Bunurong people, and why it has been described as a mutually respectful relationship
Curriculum links for Levels 5 & 6
SubjectStrandSub-strandContent descriptionsStudents will…
HistoryHistorical Knowledge and UnderstandingAustralia 1800-1900the impacts of the development of colonies on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, local-born colonists and migrants, and on the environmentDiscover the impacts of colonisation on the Bunurong people, and how the landscape has changed.
VC2HH6K02 
   the causes and consequences of people migrating to a colony from Europe and Asia and the perspectives, experiences and contributions of a particular migrant group within a colonyUnderstand the contributions of the McCrae family to the local area, and discover the causes and consequences for migration from Europe to Australia in the 1840s.
VC2HH6K04
 Historical Concepts and SkillsCauses and consequencesexplain the causes and consequences of significant events and developmentsExplain the cause of colonisation to Victoria and the consequences for different groups of people.
VC2HH6S08

Further Program Details

Available:Monday-Friday during term time.
Duration:4 hours - 10am-2pm.
Numbers:
minimum 20, maximum 50 students.
Teacher/carer:student ratio:1:10
Resources:Social script for parents and teachers of students on the autism spectrum.

Teachers will receive a detailed resource pack that includes suggested pre- and post-visit activities upon booking.
Cost$17 per student.
Health & SafetyClick here to access the McCrae Education Task Risk Assessment document.
Accessibility:The house and kitchen are wheelchair accessible. Some doorways are narrow, please get in touch for more information.
Bookings:To book in:
Online booking form

For enquiries:
Email bookings@nattust.com.au
Phone: (03)9656 9889

McCrae Homestead was a brilliant excursion for our Grade Fives. It fitted perfectly into our unit of work on the development of colonial Australia. The entire four hours we spent there was highly organised, incredibly informative and very hands-on which you need to be with primary students. We'll definitely be returning next year!

Grade 5 teacher, Flinders Christian Community College, April 2024.
feature image

Virtual Resource - Heritage at your Touch

Take your students on a virtual tour at a real colonial house and meet the people who lived there and examine their things!

More
feature image

Learn about the family who built the McCrae Homestead

Show your students the pioneering life in one of Victoria's oldest homesteads built by the Mornington Peninsula's earliest European settlers.

More

Plan your visit

McCrae Education Program

Address:

11 Beverley Road
McCrae 3938 VIC

Phone:
9656 9800
Email:
bookings@nattrust.com.au
What we offer:

Call to action section

Book your school program

Simply fill in our booking form with your details to make a booking request

Go to booking form

McCrae Homestead was a fantastic excursion for our 1/2 students. It included local and Indigenous history, lots of hands on activities as well as seeing 'real life' history with all the original furniture and the homestead itself. Highly recommend!

Grade 1 & 2 teacher, St Joseph's School Sorrento, May 2024.
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image

Related content