Year 2 · History · Historical knowledge and understanding
How technology has changed daily life
Children compare transport and communication in the past with today and describe how these changes affected people's lives.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Describe how transport and communication have changed over time.
- Explain one way a change in technology changed people's lives.
Success looks like
- I can put pictures of transport in order from oldest to newest.
- I can describe how people sent messages in the past.
- I can explain how one new invention changed people's lives.
The big idea
Transport is how people and things move from place to place. Long ago in Australia, people walked or travelled by canoe and boat. First Nations peoples travelled across Country along well-known routes for trade, ceremony and seasonal movement.
After the British colonies began, people also used horses, bullock carts and sailing ships. Later came steam trains and steamships. In the 1900s, cars, trucks and aeroplanes became common.
Communication is how people share messages. People have always communicated by talking, singing, using signs and passing on stories. Letters carried by ship could take months to reach Britain.
The telegraph sent messages along wires very quickly. In 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin connected Australia to an undersea cable, so messages could reach Britain in hours instead of months.
Later came telephones, radio, television, mobile phones and the internet. Today we can video call someone on the other side of the world.
Each invention changed people's lives. Faster transport meant people could travel further for work and holidays. Faster communication meant families could stay in touch more easily.
Worked examples
Ordering transport
Put these in order from oldest to newest: car, sailing ship, aeroplane.
- Sailing ships were used for thousands of years before engines.
- Cars became common in the early 1900s.
- Passenger aeroplanes came later still and became common for travel after cars.
Answer: Sailing ship → car → aeroplane.
How the telegraph changed things
Explain how the Overland Telegraph changed communication with Britain.
- Before 1872, a letter to Britain went by ship and took weeks or months.
- After 1872, a telegraph message could arrive in hours.
- This meant news, business and family messages travelled much faster.
Answer: It made messages between Australia and Britain much faster: hours instead of months.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which is the oldest form of transport?
Walking — People have always walked; the others are inventions.
Which is a modern way to communicate?
A video call — Video calls use the internet, which is modern technology.
In 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line connected Adelaide to which city?
Darwin — The Overland Telegraph ran from Adelaide to Darwin.
How did faster transport change people's lives?
People could travel further more easily — Faster transport let people travel further for work and holidays.
Which pulled heavy carts in early colonial Australia?
Bullocks — Bullock teams pulled heavy loads in colonial times.
Ways of moving people or goods are called ____.
transport — Transport moves people and goods.
Something new that someone has made or designed is an ____.
invention — An invention is something newly created.
In what year was the Overland Telegraph Line completed?
1872 — The Overland Telegraph Line was completed in 1872.
Watch out for
- Children may think new technology always replaces old technology completely. People still walk, ride bikes and write letters.
- Some children think First Nations peoples stayed in one place. Many groups travelled across Country along known routes for trade, ceremony and seasonal food.
Tips for parents
- Ask an older relative how they communicated with friends as a child and what transport they used.
- Let the child physically sort pictures into a timeline before discussing reasons.
- When talking about First Nations travel and trade routes, use local knowledge from First Nations organisations where possible rather than general statements.
Go further
- Send a handwritten letter to a relative and compare how long it takes with a text message.
- Make a tin-can telephone and talk about how sound travels.
- Visit a transport or railway museum.