50 years of decimal currency in Australia

Several classes are researching the 50 years of decimal currency in Australia. Here are some useful Youtube clips.


Dollar Bill and Australians keep the wheels of industry turning


Decimal currency, 14 February 1966 – Television advertisements


New decimal coin designs


50 years of decimal currencyStudio 10 segment


Decimal currency – Behind the News


Royal Australian Mint Tour – Behind the News

More information is available HERE, the website of the Royal Australian Mint.

The magic of ATMs

I was surprised to find archival footage of Australia’s first Automic Teller Machine (ATM), dating back to 1977(?):


ATM Machines history in Australia 1977


How to withdraw money from ATM

Using Google images search terms, we will explore coins and banknotes of Australia’s neighbouring countries.

This website, Security features of New Zealand’s banknotes has an excellent labelled diagram.

Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, for Stage 2

Further to our unit on Financial Literacy, here are some useful Youtube clips about the Royal Australian Mint in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) for Stage 2 students.

A tourist interprets the displays and machinery at the Mint:

Royal Australian Mint

The current range of commemorative and collectible coins are showcased here:

Royal Australian Mint 2012 Product Launch

A tourism specialist has prepared this narrative-free, persuasive clip about the Mint’s experiences available for visitors:

Royal Australian Mint – grasshoppertravel.com

Although this clip is about the 2008 coin releases, it has several sequences which illustrate the processes of coin design and manufacture:

Royal Australian Mint 2008 Products Launch

The original tourist, from the first clip, mints her own commemorative $1 coin. (Spend $3.00 to create $1.00!)

Making Money at Royal Australian Mint

Financial literacy for Stage 2

In Term 3, to complement Stage 2 students’ class work in the area of financial literacy (Priority Schools Program), the weekly library lessons will be providing field knowledge opportunities and Guided Inquiry research activities about money.

These introductory Youtube clips should prove useful:


The invention of money and currency.


Dollar Bill and Australians keep the wheels of industry turning.


Australian currency


Making plastic money

Federation for Stage 3

In Terms 3 and 4, to complement Stage 3 students’ class work in the areas of “Gold!” (Human society & its environment) and financial literacy (Priority Schools Program), the weekly library lessons will be providing field knowledge opportunities and Guided Inquiry research activities for the subsequent HSIE unit on Australian Federation.

By way of orientation, I have found these introductory Youtube clips:


A continent for a nation – Australian Federation.


Australia – A Federation in stamps.

This next clip is certainly both persuasive and irreverent in nature:


A brief history of Australia.

We are not sure what our final product might be, but these clips may well generate some discussion of the myriad of possibilities.