Our school will be visiting National Archives of Australia (NAA).

What is the NAA?

The letters NAA stand for National Archives of Australia. The NAA stores and protects Australian federal government documents.

I will be seeing old documents from Australia's history, which might include letters, photographs, maps and the Constitution.

I will get to participate in some activities relating to Australia’s history.

I will get to explore 2 different exhibitions and learn about different stories connected to government records.

The NAA building is quite small. Even though we will be split into smaller groups, it might be noisy and feel crowded if there are other visitors around. I might like to bring my headphones or earmuffs for my visit.

Arriving at the NAA

When our bus arrives, I should leave my bag, water bottle and any food on the bus. If I cannot leave my bag on the bus, there will be a safe space inside the NAA building so that I do not need to carry it.

We will be met by the NAA presenters outside the building. They will be wearing name badges and carrying NAA bags.

If our bus arrives too early, an NAA presenter will ask us to stay on the bus until it is time for the program to start. If it is a nice day, we might be able to get off the bus with our teachers to relax before the tour starts.

When we are ready to start, the NAA presenters will introduce themselves and tell us about the program. They will remind us that we need to be respectful as this is a building where people work, and members of the public may be visiting. I must not run inside the NAA building and I must use my inside voice. I cannot eat or drink inside the gallery spaces.

I will listen to the instructions given by my teacher and the NAA presenter.

Our teachers will separate our big student group into 2 or 3 smaller groups. I may not be in the same group as my friends, but that’s okay as we will only be here for an hour.

Each of the groups will have at least one of my teachers with them. We will be following one of the NAA presenters for the whole hour.

Entering the NAA

My group will follow our NAA presenter into the building.

We will need to walk up some brick steps to a large white building and through automatic sliding doors. There is also a ramp that I can use if I need to.

Inside, I will see the NAA shop on my left and the visitor desk on my right. I will follow my NAA presenter straight through with my group to our first gallery.

It may be quite bright in the foyer as there are lots of spot lamps on the ceiling.

I might hear some noise in the foyer. Visitors in the shop may be talking or laughing. The people working at the reception desk may be talking on the phone and helping other visitors.

If I lose my group, I can ask the NAA staff member at reception. They are called Visitor Services Officers and they will help me find my way. They will also be wearing a NAA name badges.

I should always stay with my group, unless I have to use the bathroom or need some quiet time away from the galleries.

If I need to leave the group, I will speak to my teacher first. There are several bathrooms and quiet spaces to use.

What will I be doing at the NAA?

We will be going to 2 different galleries to do activities. The galleries are called Voices/Dhunai and Connections/Mura Gadi. There are 2 separate spaces in Connections/Mura Gadi where we will be doing activities.

I could be starting in any of the 3 activity spaces, but I will be going to all 3 spaces.

If I have a question to ask the presenter or if I want to answer a question, I need to raise my hand. If I raise my hand to answer a question, the NAA presenter may point at me because they don’t know my name.

I do not have to answer any questions if I feel uncomfortable.

If I want to answer or ask questions but I don’t want the presenter to point at me, I can tell them my name and let them know I would rather they say my name instead.

If I need to move my body or use a fidget toy to help me listen, that is okay. 

I will not get to see everything on display in the galleries as I am only here with my school for a short time. I will focus on the records identified by the NAA presenter.

Leaving the NAA

After we have finished the program, our NAA presenter will lead us back through the building and out through the foyer.

If I need to use the bathroom, I will let my teacher know.

Once I am back outside with my classmates, I will join the other groups and follow the instructions of my teachers.