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Buda School Tours

Buda House and Garden was the home of the Leviny family for 118 years from the goldrush days of 1863 up to 1981 when the property was opened as a museum. During that time many children have lived, laughed and played in the house and garden at Buda.

The Buda House and Garden tour guide team offers a guided tour of the House and Garden, focussing on the following inquiry questions:

  • How has family life changed or remained the same over time?
  • What aspects of the past can you see today?
  • How have changes in technology shaped our daily life?

 

The House Tour looks at differences in the layout and objects in the home, the life of children, fashions, entertainment, technologies.

In the drawing rooms students investigate how the Leviny family and their guests relaxed and amused themselves. How was the house kept cool in summer and heated in winter? Why were the beds so high, and where was the toilet hidden? They explore the original maids’ quarters to observe how different it is from their own kitchens at home. How did the cook keep food fresh without a fridge, and how were foods preserved?

During the Garden Tour, see what’s growing in the kitchen garden and discuss seasonal eating and life without supermarkets.

The tour covers Victorian Curriculum requirements in History (Historical Sources as Evidence, Personal histories & Community histories), Critical and Creative Thinking.

Year Levels: Foundation to Level 6 (highly recommended for Foundation to Level 2)

Length of Tour: approx. 75 minutes. The class will be split into two, with one group touring the house, while the second half tour the garden. The groups then swap over. Mornings work well, with a 10am start, so that the visit is completed before Buda is open to the public at noon.

Numbers: Up to 25 students at a time (1:10 teacher/carer to student ratio)

Location: 42 Hunter St Castlemaine.  Enter via Hunter St gate.

Resources: student worksheets are available on request.

Cost: $6 per student. Teachers and accompanying carers free.

Bookings: (03) 5472 1032 or email Vivienne Hamilton admin@budacastlemaine.org

Getting the most out of your visit:

  • Ensure appropriate clothing for the season. A warm coat is advised as the house is not heated. Sun protection is required Oct-April.
  • You are welcome to bring snacks/drinks for consumption in the garden. Please arrange extra time and note there is limited storage for bags and backpacks.
  • The house contains many old and fragile things. Students must stay together as a group and follow the tour guide’s instructions.
  • If you would like the students to complete worksheets while on site, allow additional time and they will need a clip board and pencil.
  • Disciplining students remains the responsibility of teachers and carers accompanying the group.
  • Please let us know before your visit if any of your students have special needs or learning difficulties so we can plan to accommodate their needs during the visit.
  • Our tour guides hold current working with children checks.
  • A defibrillator is located outside the Garden Room. First Aid kits at Buda are of a general nature and not all volunteers are trained in First Aid. It is the responsibility of schools to provide EpiPens.
  • Extreme weather: If the weather is very wet, the garden tour may need to be cancelled. Buda is also closed on days of Extreme or Catastrophic Fire Danger. Please call or email the office to make alternative arrangements.

Victorian Curriculum links Foundation – Level 2

SubjectStrandSub-strandOutcomesAt Buda Home and Garden students will…
HistoryHistorical Concepts and SkillsHistorical Sources as EvidenceIdentify the content features of primary sources when describing the significance of people, places or events.Be introduced to many primary artefacts that align strongly with local history.
Identify perspectives about changes to daily life from people in the past or present.Explore Buda Home and Garden and pinpoint similarities and differences between it and their own homes and experience the life of people of different walks of life from the past.
Historical KnowledgePersonal HistoriesHow the present, past and future are signified by terms indicating and describing time.Be introduced to the concept of time, and how the past and the present are linked.
Community HistoriesThe effect of changing technology on people’s lives and their perspectives on the significance of that change.Explore the differences in historic household technologies through visual examples presented at Buda, and how household chores have changed over time.
Critical and Creative ThinkingReasoningCompare and contrast information and ideas in own and others reasoning.Discuss the similarities and differences between life in the late 1800s – 1900s and today for different types of people.