Explorers Teaching Resources
Browse printable worksheets, digital teaching presentations and more teaching resources to introduce students to Captain James Cook and other important explorers from throughout Australian history.
Aligned to the Australian Curriculum, this collection of teaching resources is teacher-created, and each printable and digital resource has undergone careful review by a member of our expert teacher team to ensure it's ready for your classroom.
New to this section of the HASS curriculum, or just looking for fresh ideas to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team?
Who Was James Cook?
Captain James Cook is perhaps the most famous of the explorers of Australia, and tracing the journey he made in the Endeavour between 1768 and 1771 is an important part of Year 4 instruction.
A British explorer and navigator who is famous for his voyages to the Pacific Ocean, Cook arrived in Botany Bay on the east coast of Australia in 1770 and mapped the coastline. He also made contact with the First Nations peoples of the area, which would later lead to conflict, marginalisation and displacement of Aboriginal people from their lands.
Cook was born in 1728 in Yorkshire, England, and he joined the British Navy at the age of 18. He became a skilled navigator and cartographer and was chosen to lead expeditions to explore and map new territories.
In addition to his famous voyage to Australia, Cook is known for exploring New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. He's considered an important figure in the scientific community, as he made important contributions to the fields of astronomy and cartography. His work was also extremely harmful, as Cook perpetuated harmful stereotypes and reinforced the colonial narrative of Aboriginal peoples as obstacles to progress and civilisation.
Cook's voyages also had a significant impact on global exploration and trade, as they opened up new areas of the world to European influence and colonisation.
Who Were the Explorers?
In addition to Cook, some of the other explorers students learn about in their studies include:
Matthew Flinders
An important figure in middle years instruction, Flinders was a navigator and cartographer who circumnavigated Australia between 1801 and 1803. He was the first European person to suggest that Australia was a continent.
Ludwig Leichhardt
Leichhardt was a German explorer who led several expeditions across Australia in the mid-19th century. He disappeared during an expedition in 1848, and his fate remains a mystery even today.
Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills
This duo led an ill-fated expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1860. Both men died on the journey.
Willem Janszoon
A Dutch navigator, Janszoon is believed to have been the first European to set foot on Australian soil way back in 1606.
Dirk Hartog
This Dutch explorer landed on the western coast of Australia in 1616. He left behind an inscribed pewter plate as a marker of his visit.
Abel Tasman
Another Dutch navigator, Tasman explored the coast of Tasmania in 1642 and named the island 'Van Diemen's Land' after his sponsor.
- Free Plan
Early Explorers - Inquiry Task
An inquiry-based assessment task for students to demonstrate their understanding of early explorers and the impacts they had on other societies.
- Free Plan
An Early Explorer's Map
An early explorer's map to display in the classroom when learning about European exploration.
- Plus Plan
How to Draw a Ship - Directed Drawing Activity
Learn how to draw a ship with a fun directed drawing activity sheet.
- Free Plan
Timeline of James Cook's First Voyage on the Endeavour
A historical timeline to display in the classroom when learning about James Cook's voyage to Australia.
- Plus Plan
Significant Explorers of Australia - Captain James Cook
A poster to display in the classroom when learning about Captain James Cook.
- Plus Plan
The Journal of James Cook - Writing Task
A journal writing task for students to investigate James Cook's voyage to Australia in the first person.
- Plus Plan
Early Explorers PowerPoint
A 25 slide editable PowerPoint presentation to use when teaching students about the early explorers of Australia.
- Plus Plan
Early Explorer Profiles - Abel Tasman, James Cook and Willem Janszoon
Three individual posters showing the expeditions of Abel Tasman, James Cook and Willem Janszoon.
- Plus Plan
Captain Cook Word Wall
A vocabulary word wall to display and use in the classroom when learning about the explorations of Captain James Cook.
- Plus Plan
Early Explorers Word Wall
A vocabulary word wall to display and use in the classroom when learning about early explorers up to the late eighteenth century.
- Plus Plan
Early Explorers - History Word Wall Vocabulary
Forty-two Early Explorer related vocabulary cards.
- Plus Plan
The Age of Exploration, Discovery and Expansion Unit Plan
This History unit covers a range of concepts relating to the early explorers of the Age of Exploration and the 'discovery' of Australia.