Knowledge Hunt

Tent Camp site at Roper River. Charles Todd and Robert Patterson are standing in front of the tent on the right.

The Knowledge Hunt is a chance for you to gather background information about Federation and the Overland Telegraph Line. Your task in this activity is to answer some key questions on the topic. The Internet offers interesting facts and opinions that may not be available anywhere else, but to find the truth you may need to read between the lines. Remember that anyone can publish on the Internet. This activity is about thinking and learning, not copying and pasting.

Federation

• What does Federation mean? What does this mean for you?
• What is the Federation Flower for South Australia?
• How was Federation itself originally celebrated? What were they celebrating?
• What were the state and territory main events associated with Federation? Place these on a classroom timeline you develop, to familarise yourself with discoveries and celebrations of the 1870s.
• What are some of the major Federation celebrations in South Australia in 2001?

  Websites

  Federation SA

  Federation flower - SA

  Centenary Fedaration NSW

  The Federation Story

  National Story timeline

Overland Telegraph Line

• Who lead and influenced the development of the Overland Telegraph Line?
• Before the Overland Telegraph Line how did information spread through South Australia, the other colonies and overseas?
• What needed to be considered when building the line and finding an appropriate track?
• What were some of the supplies needed by the team of people building the line?
• What other discoveries were made while its construction was being done?

  
  Websites

  Morse code information

  The Overland Telegraph

  The Connecting the Continent Website

  General information on the Overland Telegraph

  The story of the Overland Telegraph

  The story of long distance communication

  A brief history of the Overland Telegraph

NEXT - Try the Quiz to test your background knowledge ...

By now you should have more background information about the topic. What will you do with your learning? Let's move on to the webquest ...