Before Time: Barangaroo
Barangaroo's world would be perfect if only Mani, the biggest boy in her group of friends, would stop trying to be number one. Deep down, Barangaroo knows she's better than he is. That's why Mani keeps shutting her out from important adventures - to make himself look good.
Deep Time Overview
This episode shifts from invasion‑era history into the deep time histories of First Nations Peoples; stories grounded in tens of thousands of years of connection to Country, kinship, law and knowledge systems. The story of Barangaroo invites students to understand Australia’s past not as a timeline beginning in 1788, but as a vast, continuous story shaped by the world’s oldest living cultures.
For Episodes 25: Bunda and Episode 26: Barangaroo, an expanded version of this overview is available in the Teacher’s Guide, including:
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Understanding Country and Time
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Life on Country
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Knowledge Systems and Technologies
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Cultural Continuity and Change
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Respecting First Nations Voices (FIRST Framework)
Teaching deep time history requires respectful partnerships with local First Nations knowledge custodians. Teachers should:
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Find out what local stories and knowledge can be shared
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Include First Nations voices through endorsed resources
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Respect partnerships by seeking permission and guidance
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Support student learning with culturally safe practices
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Take time to build relationships and deepen understanding
This approach ensures that teaching is culturally safe, accurate and grounded in community authority.
Source references:
• ACARA, FIRST Framework
• Australians Together, Truth‑telling in the Classroom
• Reconciliation Australia, Narragunnawali resources
Deep time is not “long ago.” It is now, because Country continues to teach, guide and hold story.
Provocation Question
What does Barangaroo’s story show about leadership, courage and caring for others, and what can we learn from the responsibilities young people carried in her community?
Clip 1: Dance-off
Barangaroo and her friends are warned not to go near Mumuga country, and they discuss the nature of the Mumuga. To cheer up Mung, they decide to host a cook-up. Barangaroo and Mani have a dance-off to see who is the most worthy to carry the spear.
Tuning In
Barangaroo wants to carry the spear, but Mani keeps trying to be the leader. As you watch, think about:
- What does the spear symbolise?
- Why is dance used to decide who carries it?
- What does this moment tell us about leadership and respect?
With a partner, imagine you are Barangaroo and Mani:
- What might you be thinking, feeling, or wondering?
- What does this moment mean to each of you?
Write your responses on sticky notes.
As a class, add responses under these sentence starters:
‘Barangaroo might be thinking…’
‘Mani might feel…’
‘I wonder why…
Finding Out & Sorting Out
In small groups, investigate how roles and responsibilities are shared in First Nations communities, and include the following points in your research:
- Ceremonial roles
- Gendered responsibilities
- Leadership through action, not dominance
- Cultural protocols for carrying tools or symbols
Organise your research notes into a Source Analysis Grid:
- What does the source show?
- Who holds responsibility?
- How is leadership shown?
- What values are being taught?
Apply your thinking and interpret the dance-off using your knowledge of cultural protocols by writing or recording a short response to the question:
“What does the spear symbolise in this story, and why is it important who carries it?”
Create a Symbol Map to illustrate your writing, showing:
Spear > meaning > responsibility > cultural value
Learning Support:
Provide a partially completed map with visual cues and sentence starters.
Making Connections
Barangaroo and Mani both want to carry the spear, but their reasons and their responsibilities are different. Think about a time when you had to show what you could do, not by being the loudest, but by showing respect, skill or patience.
Individual or Partner Task:
Create a short, multimodal digital story (audio, slideshow or illustrated booklet) retelling the dance-off from Barangaroo’s perspective.
Show:
- What the spear means to her
- How she feels during the dance-off
- What she learns about leadership and responsibility
Start with a storyboard to organise your ideas.
Remember to include :
- A clear beginning, middle and end
- Cause/effect (challenge > dance-off > understanding)
- One respectful action or cultural value
Learning Support:
Provide storyboard panels with caption starters such as:
‘I wanted to carry the spear because…’
‘When Mani challenged me…’
‘I showed leadership by…’
‘The most important lesson was…’
Clip 2: Yabbies
Barangaroo and Mung collect yabbies for the cook-off. When Barangaroo returns to the camp she finds that Mung has gone missing in Mumuga country, so she and her friends go searching for him.
Tuning In
Barangaroo shows care and courage when Mung goes missing. As you watch, think about:
- What does this moment show about her leadership?
- Why is Mumuga country important?
- How do the children respond to danger?
As a class, use the Thinking Routine: What Makes You Say That? Share your ideas and justify them with evidence from the clip.
Use a visual prompt with speech bubbles:
‘I think this shows…’
‘Because I saw…’
Finding Out & Sorting Out
Research ‘Country, Boundaries and Protocols’ by exploring:
- Sacred or restricted areas
- Cultural boundaries and permissions
- Responsibilities when entering Country
- Ecological knowledge (yabbies, water, seasons)
Use a Country Protocol Chart to organise your research notes and show:
Place > Permission > Purpose > Responsibility
Apply your research to interpret the danger and respect shown in the clip.
Prompt: ‘What does this story teach us about respecting Country and caring for each other?
In small groups, create a Cause–Effect–Response chart:
- Cause: Mung enters Mumuga
- Effect: He goes missing
- Response: Barangaroo leads search
- Cultural meaning: What values are shown?
Making Connections
Barangaroo shows courage and care when Mung goes missing. Think about a time when you helped someone because it was the right thing to do, even if it felt challenging.
Individual or Partner Task: Create a 4–6 panel comic strip or digital storyboard showing the search for Mung from Barangaroo’s point of view.
Include:
- How she uses knowledge of Country
- How she leads her friends
- How she shows responsibility and care
Remember to include
- Clear sequence of events
- How Barangaroo uses cultural knowledge (e.g., reading Country, listening, observing)
- One moment of leadership or care
Learning Support:
Provide a comic template with prompts such as:
‘We were collecting yabbies when…’
‘I noticed something was wrong because…’
‘I decided to…’
‘This taught me that…’
Australian Curriculum Links
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Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Year 6 |
Knowledge and Understanding - History |
the diversity of First Nations Australians, their social organisation and their continuous connection to Country/Place |
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Knowledge and Understanding – Geography |
the ways First Nations Australians in different parts of Australia are interconnected with Country/Place |
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Understanding – Civics and Citizenship |
why people participate within communities and how students can actively participate and contribute to communities |
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Skills – Questioning and Researching |
develop questions to guide investigations about people, events, places and issues locate, collect and record information and data from a range of sources, including annotated timelines and maps |
develop questions to guide investigations about people, events, places and issues locate, collect and record information and data from a range of sources, including annotated timelines and maps |
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Skills - Interpreting, analysing and evaluating |
analyse information and data, and identify perspectives |
analyse information and data, and identify perspectives |
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Skills - Concluding and decision-making |
draw conclusions based on analysis of informationactions |
draw conclusions based on analysis of information |
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Skills - Communicating |
present descriptions and explanations, using ideas from sources and relevant subject-specific terms |
present descriptions and explanations, using ideas from sources and relevant subject-specific terms |
present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions |
present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions |
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Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Year 6 |
Language |
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understand how to move beyond making bare assertions by taking account of differing ideas or opinions and authoritative sources |
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Literature |
discuss characters, events and settings in different contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators
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identify aspects of literary texts that represent details or information about historical, social and cultural contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors |
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Literacy |
recognise how texts can be created for similar purposes but different audiences use interaction skills to contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas plan, create, edit and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive written and multimodal texts, using visual features, appropriate form and layout, with ideas grouped in simple paragraphs, mostly correct tense, topic-specific vocabulary and correct spelling of most high-frequency and phonetically regular words plan, create, rehearse and deliver short oral and/or multimodal presentations to inform, express opinions or tell stories, using a clear structure, details to elaborate ideas, topic-specific and precise vocabulary, visual features, and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume |
compare texts from different times with similar purposes and audiences to identify similarities and differences in their depictions of events listen for key points and information to carry out tasks and contribute to discussions, acknowledging another opinion, linking a response to the topic, and sharing and extending ideas and information plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation
plan, create, rehearse and deliver structured oral and/or multimodal presentations to report on a topic, tell a story, recount events or present an argument using subjective and objective language, complex sentences, visual features, tone, pace, pitch and volume
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describe the ways in which a text reflects the time and place in which it was created use appropriate interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to own experience, and present and justify an opinion or idea plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and punctuation including dialogue punctuation plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations that include relevant, elaborated ideas, sequencing ideas and using complex sentences, specialist and technical vocabulary, pitch, tone, pace, volume, and visual and digital features |
examine texts including media texts that represent ideas and events, and identify how they reflect the context in which they were created use interaction skills and awareness of formality when paraphrasing, questioning, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, and sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations that include information, arguments and details that develop a theme or idea, organising ideas using precise topic-specific and technical vocabulary, pitch, tone, pace, volume, and visual and digital features |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
Country/Place
Students explore deep connections to Country through Barangaroo's understanding of boundaries, places, resources and responsibilities, including knowledge of yabbies, water and movement through Country. The lesson highlights how caring for Country and respecting cultural protocols guide decision-making and behaviour.
Culture
Students examine First Nations cultural practices through ceremonial decision-making, shared responsibilities and the use of dance, symbols and protocols to teach leadership and respect. The lesson demonstrates how cultural values are passed on through participation, observation and community relationships.
People
Students investigate how identity and responsibility are shaped by kinship, community and relationships with Country through Barangaroo's leadership and care for others. The lesson highlights the important roles young people play in contributing to the wellbeing of their community.
Critical and Creative Thinking
Students investigate leadership, responsibility and decision-making by analysing Barangaroo's actions and applying their understanding of First Nations knowledge, protocols and values to interpret events in the story.
Ethical Understanding
Students explore ethical concepts such as respect, care, responsibility and cooperation as they consider how Barangaroo and Mani respond to challenges and fulfil their obligations to others.
Intercultural Understanding
Students develop intercultural understanding by engaging with First Nations perspectives on leadership, kinship, Country and community, and recognising the strength and continuity of these cultural practices.
Personal and Social Capability
Students build personal and social capability by reflecting on teamwork, leadership, empathy and conflict resolution, and by considering how individuals contribute positively to their community.
Additional Resources
Additional Clip: Nadia Wheatly reads Barangaroo (1788) - My Place
Episode Stills
Barangaroo
Mung, Barangaroo, Mani, Wadi And Friends Dancing
Wadi, Mani And Badjal
Mani spears a fish
Bangaroo, Mung, Wadi, Mani and Madjal
Mung
Badjal, Bangaroo, Wadi and Mani
Bangaroo and Mung
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