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Closed: Reopening February 2026

 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art

Student Programs

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art

On a 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art exhibition tour, our experienced facilitators introduced students to key ideas and artworks. Students participated in group discussions and activities, prompting them to think critically about the works.

Exhibition tours

Connection to Country

Grades 3–4

Students explored Connections to Country/place through five key artworks by Brett Leavy, Mandy Nicholson, Albert Namatjira, Minimini Numalkiyiya Mamarika, and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton.

Duration: 60 min

Continuity of culture

Grades 5–6

Students explored Continuity of Culture through seven key artworks by Brett Leavy, Mandy Nicholson, William Barak, Mundukul and Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Woŋgu and Dhambit Munuŋgurr, and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton.

Duration: 60 min

Land, belonging and time

Grades 7–8

Students explored Land, belonging and time through six key artworks by Brett Leavy, Mandy Nicholson, Brian Robinson, Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Naomi Hobson, and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton.

Duration: 60 mins

Rights and freedoms

Grades 9–10

Students explored Land, rights and freedom through six key artworks by Brett Leavy, Lin Onus, Trevor Nickolls, Robert Campbell JNR, Ishmael Marika, and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton.

Duration: 60 mins

Truth-telling through curating

Grades 11–12 VCE

Senior secondary students learned about the process and practice of curating 65,000 Years through five key artworks by Brett Leavy, Julie Gough, Gordon Bennett, and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton

Duration: 90 mins

Potter Museum of Art Self Guided VCE Visits

We have limited availability for Self-guided exhibition visits for Year 11 and 12 VCE Art Making and Exhibiting. Teachers may use the year level specific tour risk assessments and Ngarrrngga resources to guide their students through the exhibition. Teachers are advised to focus on the artworks prescribed in the Year 11/12 ‘Truth-telling through Curating’ tour resource. Please note these visits still incur an Educational Booking fee, contact school-bookings@unimelb.edu.au directly if you’re interested.

a painting of a gorge with bright orange and red cliffs refected in water at the base
A panoramic figurative painting, with central human figure sinking into earth
Earth and fuchsia coloured painting on stringybark. Abstract artwork featuring a large, irregular purple shape with black dot patterns, a circular maroon motif at the top right, and lines of colourful dots on a light pink background.
Colorful Aboriginal-style artwork featuring a large central figure with a red head and intricate dotted patterns, surrounded by abstract landscapes, stars, animals, geometric shapes, and smaller human-like figures below.

Learn about the exhibition

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art

The exhibition examines the rise to prominence of First Peoples’ art across Australia.

Learning Resources

Engage with the exhibition through high-quality, indigenous-led curriculum resources created by Ngarrngga.

Teacher Professional Development

Learn how to engage students more deeply with the themes of the exhibition through these professional development opportunities for educators.