Ancient Australia Introduction | Year 7 History & Humanities | Lesson Slides, Printable Worksheets & Answer Key

Introduce students to the oldest continuing culture on Earth with this no-prep Ancient Australian History resource. Designed for middle and high school history, this pack explores how archaeologists, scientists, and Aboriginal oral histories reveal Australia’s deep past.

Students will learn about Mungo Man and Mungo Lady, the Burrup Peninsula’s rock engravings, songlines, and cultural traditions. They will practice source analysis, multiple-choice, matching, and comprehension tasks while reflecting on the importance of preserving ancient sites and challenging ideas like “terra nullius” .

Perfect for classroom teaching, sub plans, or independent study, this resource is ready to use and builds critical thinking about archaeology.

Australian Curriculum alignment — Year 7 History, Version 9.0

Supports selected aspects of the following content descriptions through introductory readings, discussion and worksheet activities.

• AC9HH7K03 — Continuing cultures: Explore evidence of First Nations Australians’ long and continuing connections to Country.
• AC9HH7K06 — Cultural practices: Introduce oral histories, songlines, rock art and burial practices as evidence of cultural traditions.
• AC9HH7K07 — Cultural heritage: Explore responsibilities towards significant sites and ancestral remains, and collaboration with Elders and Traditional Custodians to preserve heritage.
• AC9HH7K08 — Investigating the ancient past: Introduce archaeology, excavation, dating methods, historical sources and conservation.
• AC9HH7S03 — Source analysis: Introduce questions about who created a source, when, why and what it reveals.
• AC9HH7S04 — Accuracy and usefulness: Introduce the usefulness and reliability of different sources when investigating the ancient past.
• AC9HH7S08 — Historical communication: Use historical knowledge, terms and examples to write descriptions and explanations.

Cross-curriculum priority: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.