Enriching School Excursions Through Local History in the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains school excursions play an important role in a student’s education. They offer the chance to step beyond the classroom, explore real-world environments, and engage with history in a meaningful, hands-on way.
That is exactly what students enjoy with the Mountains Tales Educational Program. We use dress-up, props, roleplay and story to bring history to life. After all, take away the first two letter of the word HISTORY, and you have a great STORY.
Our program is designed to support student learning outcomes across the NSW HSIE syllabus, as we learn about people who lived in the past, through stories and images.
We escort students to the best source we can offer; the historical sites of these events; allowing students to understand the environment and gain a greater understanding of our past.
Blue Mountains Colonial History
Following the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, early settlers were eager to cross the rugged mountain range, believing fertile land or an inland sea lay beyond. The harsh terrain and dense bush proved difficult to overcome. For many years, exploration was postponed while efforts focused on establishing the fledgling colony along the coast.
In May 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, and Lieutenant William Lawson successfully forged a route across the mountain watershed. Their achievement opened the way for inland expansion and marked a turning point in Australia’s colonial history.
The story continues at Mount York, where in November 1814, William Cox and a team of 30 convict workers constructed the road descending the mountains. Through roleplay and guided exploration, students can learn about the lives of the convicts and witness firsthand the pick marks still visible in the sandstone today—tangible evidence of their labour and resilience.
Mountains Tales Educational Program
Mountains Tales offers tailored school Educational Programs covering the Blue Mountains’ role in our colonial history. Our tours follow the primary source of the explorer’s diaries, as we travel up the Mountains from the Nepean River.
Or explore Mount York, where the well-preserved remnants of the convict-built roads, including cuttings, retaining walls, and rock-cut gutters can be seen first-hand by students.
By engaging a local historian and guide for a school excursion, students can hear, see, and truly feel these stories. History is brought to life through storytelling, observation, and exploration, transforming a lesson into an immersive experience.
Students are encouraged to think deeply and ask questions such as: What did the explorers eat? Where did they find water? How did horses and supplies move through such thick bushland?
Learn more about what Mountains Tales can offer your school on our Educational Program, or send a message via our Contact Us page.
See you in the Blue Mountains soon!