VCE OES REVISION PROGRAM

2022 VCAA EXAM PREPARATION - UNIT 3

AREA OF STUDY 1
• This presentation is designed to run through the course
overview, prompting key information and discussion along
the way.

• Take notes, highlight, annotate and ask questions… this

session can really kickstart the revision process.
3.1.1
AN OVERVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN OUTDOOR
ENVIRONMENTS BEFORE HUMANS
FROM THE STUDY DESIGN

• Key Knowledge: an overview of Australian outdoor

environments before humans, including characteristics of
biological isolation, geological stability, and climatic
variations.

• Key Skills: describe the characteristics of the Australian

environment before humans.

• How have these factors shaped outdoor environments, what

are our examples?
BIOLOGICAL ISOLATION
• As Australia is an island continent (isolated from other continents),
Australian flora and fauna have adapted to the Australian conditions in
isolation, making them unique to anywhere else in the world.
• A high percentage of endemic species (found nowhere else in the
world) are found in Australia.

• E.g. 85% of the World's mammals, 12/19 known flowering plants.

• 1. Give two examples of how a species has adapted to the Australian

environment:
GEOLOGICAL STABILITY
• As Australia lies in the middle of a continental plate and has had no
recent volcanic activity, the landscape has been shaped by outdoor
forces such as erosion , for thousands of years.

• The state of soil - dry and low in nutrients, is a result of this.

• 2. Give two examples of geological stability shaping Australia’s outdoor
environments:
CLIMATIC VARIATIONS
• Australia experiences a relative erratic climate in comparison to other
continents of the world. There are two extremes; the El Nino years
(long, lean droughts) and the La Nina years (flooding rains).

• These periods can last from 1-10 years, this unpredictability has had an
impact on the adaptability and diversity of flora and fauna.

• 3. Give two examples of characteristics of Australian outdoor

environments that are the result of climatic variations:
• 4. For the following flora and fauna adaptations, initial
either BI, CV or GS based on which factor has lead to the
adaption:
FLORA SPECIES ADAPTION

Eucalyptus (also known as the Gumtree)

• Over 700 species found in Australia

• Have adapted to many environments e.g. coastal, alpine

• Oily leaves reduce water loss

• Have deep root systems to access underground water

• Fire travels up tree through lack of bark, germinating seed pods which
burst open and start growing
FAUNA ADAPTATION

Kangaroo

• Raise baby in pouch to save energy

• Have four special pairs of teeth for chewing tough leaves

• Fur reflects 30% of heat from the sun

• Hopping pushes air into lungs by compressing diaphragm, saving energy

3.1.2
RELATIONSHIPS WITH AUSTRALIAN OUTDOOR
ENVIRONMENTS EXPRESSED BY SPECIFIC INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITIES BEFORE AND AFTER EUROPEAN
COLONISATION
FROM THE STUDY DESIGN

• Key Knowledge: Relationships with Australian outdoor environments

expressed by specific Indigenous communities before and after
European colonisation.

• Key Skills: Describe and analyse the changing relationships with

Australian outdoor environments expressed by specific Indigenous
communities.
• Perceptions: What we think about outdoor environments,
how we see/view them, how do we see outdoor
environments in relation to ourselves on this planet?

• Interactions: What we do in, and with outdoor

environments, the activities/practices carried out.

• Impacts: What are the results of our perceptions and

interactions, both on humans (how we view/feel about
outdoor environments) and the physical environment.
RELATIONSHIPS

BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

TRIBAL MOVEMENT (YALLOC BULLUK)

• The Bunurong moved seasonally, they watched for signs that told them it was
time to move.

• During the warm summer months, the Yalloc Bulluk would make bark canoes
and visit French Island and Phillip Island to catch seal and mutton birds. Other
days would be spent foraging the Western Port Bay’s many tidal flats or the
rocky platforms of the Bass Coast for their favourite shellfish. A part of
everyday was the 1-2 hours spent harvesting indigenous vegetables and fruits
such as orchid bulbs or wild currents.

• As summer came to an end the Yalloc Bulluk would begin making cloaks and
rugs from possum and kangaroo skins, and collecting the flower stems of the
grass tree, which was a favoured timber for making fire, and steeped in lore.

5. Annotate a clear PII

2015 VCAA EXAM
• Asked for spiritual/social relationships along with physical
relationships. 6. Give an example of each:
RELATIONSHIPS

AFTER EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

PERCEPTIONS

• Whilst changes were occurring in the lives of the Indigenous Australians,

their perceptions remained the same (with a slight difference).

• 7. Explain the change in perception:

INTERACTIONS
The arrival of Europeans forced many changes:

• Land was fenced, preventing some seasonal movements

• Fire-stick farming was discouraged

• Traditional practices were discouraged (ceremonies, hunting)

• Communities were dispossessed of their lands

• Violent confrontations occurred

• Aboriginals were kidnapped as slaves (mostly women)

• 8. Make note of how two specific interactions changed:

MAJOR IMPACT
• One major impact at this time was the increase in large bushfires.

• As fire-stick farming had been banned/discouraged by Europeans, and land was

fenced off, preventing tribal movements…

• Undergrowth was able to grow thick, providing fuel for wildfires to burn greatly.

• 9. On the spare space, note the intangible/spiritual impact of changed

relationships
3.1.3
NON-INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIPS
WITH SPECIFIC AREAS
FROM THE STUDY GUIDE

• Key Knowledge: Relationships with Australian outdoor environments as

influenced by:

• First non-Indigenous settlers’ experiences

• Increasing Population

• Industrialisation

• Nation Building

• Key Skills: Describe and analyse the changing relationships with Australian
outdoor environments influenced by historical events and key social and
cultural issues.
 Key Historical Group Time Period

Indigenous Australians 40,000 - 60,000 Years Ago

First Non-Indigenous settlers 1778 - Mid 1800’s

increasing population 1850’s - 1880’s

industrialisation 1880 - 1920's

nation building Early 1900’s - Mid 1900’s

FIRST NON-INDIGENOUS SETTLERS

Wilsons Promontory, Sealing @ Sealers Cove

• Perceptions: Even though settlers feared the Australian land, they saw it
for the opportunity that it provided them with to create a life, as no one
owned the land (Terra Nullius). They saw Sealers Cove as a resource
through which to generate profit.

• Interactions: Sealers sold thousands seal skins and tons of seal oil for
over 40 years. Timber millers began to arrive in 1854 to acquire timber
for agricultural practices in the surrounding areas.

• 10. Analyse the perception of ‘Terra-Nullius’:

• Impacts: Seal numbers at Wilsons Promontory declined so much so that
the industry collapsed. The decimation of seals would've lead to an
altered food web, reducing biodiversity. Settlement and timber extraction
led to loss of habitat along with soil erosion and pollution.

Remnants of the Jetty at

Sealers Cove
IMAGINE IF IT PLAYED OUT OVER TEXT

This text conversation demonstrates

the relationship that the first non-
indigenous settlers had with the
Bunurong Coast.

Scenario - A governor in the UK is

texting one of the first settlers to
see how settlement is going.
INCREASING POPULATION
Gold and quartz mining

• Perceptions: Upon the discovery of gold in Victoria, outdoor

environments were perceived as a place to begin a new life through
making a fortune.

• Interactions: The gold rush had spread to Stockyard Creek (now known
as Foster) upon it’s discovery there. Miners excavated the earth where
they would pan and sluice for gold.

• At Wilsons Promontory, gold and quartz was mined at Mt Singapore.

• 11. Explain the impact that this had on the outdoor environment:

Gold digging equipment can be seen today in Foster.

IMAGINE IF IT PLAYED OUT OVER TEXT

This text conversation demonstrates

the relationship that humans had with
the Bunurong Coast during increasing
population.

Scenario - A settler has struck gold

and is contacting his friend in the
UK to come and start a new life of
prosper.
INDUSTRIALISATION
Rising conservation - Lobby for National Park

• Perceptions: With the change in work conditions, groups such as the

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria began to offer experiences to Wilsons
Promontory. Field trips lead to the perception that outdoor
environments such as these were in need of protection for they beauty
and wonder.

• Interactions: In the 1880’s the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV)

campaigned for Wilsons Promontory to be protected after a number of
humans experienced it through field trips.

• Impact: In 1898, majority of the Wilsons Promontory area was reserved

as a site for a National Park, eventually to settle in 1908.
IMAGINE IF IT PLAYED OUT OVER TEXT

This text conversation demonstrates

the conservationist’s the FNCV had
with the Bunurong Coast.

Scenario - A member of the FNCV

is at WP texting one of the
governor’s, lobbying for its
protection.
NATION BUILDING
The San Remo Bridge (built 1940)

• Perceptions: During the early 1900’s, Phillip Island was seen as a blank
canvas, to build a national identity, it needed better access for people.

• Interactions: The San Remo suspension bridge was opened in 1940 and
allowed large numbers of tourists to visit beaches such as Woolamai
and Smiths to engage in surfing and its culture. Roads, car parks and
visitor facilities were created for the influx of visitors.
• Impacts: Whilst the impacts of land clearing for roads etc occured, surfing
was seen as a national culture and part of the identity of Australia, leading to
a shared perception of Phillip Island and its beaches as a playground.

• This culture continues today where Woolamai beach is recognised as a

National Surfing Reserve, reinforcing the importance of its role in our history
and its protection (as a museum).
3.1.4
THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
MOVEMENTS ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH
OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS.
FROM THE STUDY DESIGN

• Key Knowledge: The foundation and role of environmental movements

in changing relationships with outdoor environments, in relation to at
least one of the following:

• The Wilderness Society

• Key Skills: Describe and analyse the changing relationships with

Australian outdoor environments influenced by historical events and
associated key social and cultural issues

• Evaluate the role of a specific environmental movement in changing

relationships with outdoor environments
SWAY: LAKE PEDDER

• https://sway.office.com/1UObDGXjmqbgUEVn?ref=Link

• Visit the sway above to learn about the tragedy of Lake

Pedder, ultimately leading to the formation of The
Wilderness Society.

• 12. Work with your group for 5 minutes to remember WHY

Lake Pedder was an important event in history.
TWS FORMATION

• 13. In groups of 3… Describe its formation (Who, what,

when, where and why)
FRANKLIN RIVER RECAP

• 1979 - HEC released proposal to build a dam, on the Gordon River below the
Franklin (this would flood the Franklin River).

• 1979 - 1983 - The Wilderness Society campaigns through a series of

methods (media, protests, blockade) under the leadership of Bob Brown.

• 1982 - South West Tasmania declared a World Heritage Area.

• 1983 - Head of the Labour Party Bob Hawke is elected as Australian Prime
Minster, stopping the dam is a major policy of his. HEC ignores this and
continues construction.

• 1983 – The high court rules in favour of the Federal Gov. The Dam does not
proceed.
HOW TWS HAS CHANGED RELATIONSHIPS

• Greater awareness of the need to protect, and importance of natural

environments

• Mainstreaming environmental issues in society and politics

• Recognition of an individual’s ability to effect change

• Rise of tourism and adventure tourism to remote areas

• 14. Annotate one of these as a PII for the influence of TWS on

relationships

Textbook p173
3.1.5
THE IMPACT OF INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS IN AUSTRALIA ON THE POLICIES OF
POLITICAL PARTIES
FROM THE STUDY DESIGN

• Key Knowledge: the impact of increasing environmental awareness in

Australia on the policies of political parties.

• Key Skills: evaluate the foundation and role of environmental and

political movements in changing relationships with outdoor
environments.
1980’s
FRANKLIN RIVER
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY (TWS)

AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (ACF)

INFLUENCED POLITICAL MOVEMENT

THE TASMANIAN GREENS PARTY (BOB BROWN)

AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY (BOB HAWKE)

HOW THIS INFLUENCED POLITICS

The true rise of the Australian Greens Party and the involvement of Bob
Brown in Australian politics occurred through Franklin River campaign
from the Australian Conservation Foundation and The Wilderness
Society.
LABOR PARTY POLICIES

• Bob Hawke was seen as the first Prime Minister to consider and
promote conservation in his policies.

• Hawke recognised that large numbers of people were supporting

environmental movements and that this would be crucial to the
Labor Party.
1989 - Funding for Landcare
Bob Hawke and the Labor Party committed $320 Million over 10 years to assist the
Landcare program in improving the quality of farmlands and water quality.

To this day, Landcare remains an enormous and successful program bringing

community-based conservation and sustainable farming to the forefront of a major
Australian past time.
1989 - Billion Trees Program
Bob Hawke and the Labor Party vowed to help Australians plan 1 Billion trees in order
to combat erosion and loss of vegetation since European settlement.

15. Evaluate the influence that either this policy or the Landcare policy could have had
on societal relationships with outdoor environments: