Discover the early years

Have you ever wondered what life was like in the early years? You now have access to video teaching tools featuring local history and development from the early pioneering years.

School Days

[7 minutes 43 seconds]

Have you ever wondered what school was like in the early years? The Heritage Library Early Years Series School Days gives students, teachers and parents a glimpse into the Coast's pioneering schools.

[5 minutes 23 seconds]

A day in the life of our early year’s student versus modern day is shown in Part 2. Note the performance by the cow. You will also benefit as the videos encourage discussion of changes through the times.

Streetscapes and houses

[6 minutes 33 seconds]

Enjoy these videos as they tell the story of the evolution of streetscapes and houses over time. Just flick a switch and go back in time to when bullock trains and horses was the main traffic on the streets of local towns.

The Aerials

[3 minutes 12 seconds]

Enjoy the graphic illustrations in Part 2 and the changes over time in the Sunshine Coast community. Take the opportunity to discuss and identify the changes or places that have endured the ordeals of time.

Transportation

[11 minutes 44 seconds]

This video transports you back to the era of the horse or Shanks’s pony, far from the fast airplanes, trains and automobiles of today.

Imagine standing looking out to sea or on the banks of the local rivers, hearing the horn of the steamships approaching carrying all types of exotic and interesting cargo. The new and exciting invention of the automobile arrived which opened up a wide new world for pioneers. Construction of the rail line along with the puffing steam trains brought great changes to the region with an influx of settlers.

These changes meant there was now faster access to markets for timber and the farmers’ produce. Imagine riding in a Cobb & Co coach, an early year bus, steam train or the magic of the steamships and discuss how different it is today.

Heritage Library

These videos have been produced by the Heritage Library to promote understanding and discussion around the history and development of the local area from the early pioneering years. The images and resources have been sourced from Picture Sunshine Coast and the Heritage Library collections. Visit Picture Sunshine Coast to discover more material illustrating our proud local history.