Stage 5 - Changing Places

Explore Australia's urban future with Changing Places, a Geography fieldwork excursion examining sustainable development and community change in Barangaroo and Millers Point.

About this excursion

Changing Places is an S5 Geography fieldwork excursion focusing on 'Australia's Urban Future'. The fieldwork showcases ways that people influence and manage environmental change in urban areas to enhance sustainability. Students investigate the economic, social, and environmental impacts of Barangaroo and also visit nearby Millers Point to learn how this community has changed over time.

Key Inquiry Question

Student previsit and follow-up activities

Successful fieldwork visits have direct links to current classroom learning. Pre-visit activities carried out before the excursion will help students better understand the excursion content and provide a sense of connectedness and relevance to classroom learning.

Have students visit the Student Support Website provided on booking and complete any pre-fieldwork activities to familiarise them with the study area.

Activities on the day

During the full-day fieldwork excursion, students:
  • Acquire, process and communicate geographic information to answer a fieldwork question.
  • Learn basic geographic tools, including mapping, field sketching, photo interpretation, etc.
  • Collect evidence of economic, environmental and social sustainability within the study site.
  • Use measuring instruments to record environmental factors, e.g., noise, wind, temperature, etc.
  • Observe Millers Point and learn about the gentrification that has occurred there through the NSW Department of Housing's decision to privately sell public housing, and its implications for social sustainability.

Important information

Cost
  • Government Schools: $15 per student  (GST-free)
  • Non-Government Schools: $30 per student (GST-free)
Location

Barangaroo and Millers Point

View the Google Map with the approximate walking route, meeting location and pick-up location. Please note that the meeting location is near Wharf 2, Barangaroo.

The bus drop-off bay is at 35 Lime St. Pick-up is at Argyle Place.

If arriving by train, take the Westpac Walk tunnel (towards Barangaroo) and proceed directly to the foreshore.

Key syllabus outcomes and content

Key syllabus outcomes

Australia’s urban future. Students investigate the management and planning of Australia’s urban future, for example:

  • explanation of strategies used to create economically, socially and environmentally sustainable urban places
  • proposal of ways for individuals and communities to contribute to a sustainable urban future

Integrating the ‘Sustainability’ Cross Curriculum Priority is a feature of the program.

Skills outcomes

Learning activities may include:

  • fieldwork data gathering
  • mapping
  • field sketching
  • assessing environmental impacts of development using measuring instruments (eg anemometers)
  • developing Geographic Inquiry Skills including Acquiring (what is where), Processing (why is it there), and Communicating (why care)
  • answering a fieldwork question, ‘Describe the change in Barangaroo and evaluate it's liveability'

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