During visit learning: student activities, project ideas and questions

At the Dam

• Explain the need for water in many parts of the mining process.
• Discuss the number of dams used to provide the water and what was done before a reliable supply was organised
• Let the students take a sample of the water and ensure they have labelled the water: “From the Dam”

At the River

• Discuss the colours of the rocks and water
• Explain the types of waste that were washed down the river
• Ask them if they think it would be good to drink
• Talk about the lack of fish and other living things in the water
• Let the students take a sample of the water and ensure they have labelled the water: “From the River”
• Discuss the swing bridges and allow the students to cross the bridge. Emphasise the age of the bridge and the need to preserve it

At the Museum

• Highlight the equipment used to separate materials
• Discuss using the scales to weigh the material and identify it as gold
• Draw attention to the photographs of the mountain and how it changed over time

On the Mine Tour

• Include an opportunity to pan for gold.
• Emphasise the scale of the diggings and how much gold was removed from the mountain
• Point out that copper and other materials were also mined
• Show the dinosaur footprints to emphasise the age when the gold was formed. Get them to think about how they knew it was dinosaur footprints