Australia: The Story of Us - Episode 5 (ATOM Study Guide)

Australia: The Story of Us is an extraordinary narrative about the people, places and events that have shaped the continent, from the first inhabitants to the present day. This groundbreaking drama-documentary series weaves together stories of the nation's origins and offers fresh insights into how Australians came to create the homeland we inhabit today.

Alongside astounding CGI and cinematic sequences, the series features interviews with important thinkers, notable celebrities and national figures who take us inside the stories that have influenced Australian history.

The series can be viewed as a whole or as individual episodes, or even individual segments within episodes. It can be used as a series of creative starting points for students to start their exploration of aspects of Australian history and the people who made it.

Episode 5: 'Hard Roads to Glory'

Australia emerges scarred from World War One, but also victorious and confident. New technology like planes and radios shrink the continent. Charles Kingsford Smith uses both to cross the Pacific and tell Australians the story as it happens. Not even the Great Depression can stop the completion of the nation's most ambitious construction project: the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In hard times, Phar Lap carries the hopes of the nation on his broad back. And top-secret Australian contributions from unheralded genius Ruby Payne-Scott prove to be a critical turning point in a second global conflict. The war with Japan tests Australia to its limits on the Kokoda Track.

Curriculum Relevance

Australia: The Story of Us is a suitable resource for students in Years 5–9 in studies of Australian History, English and Film Studies.