Episode 34
26th November 2013
Activity
Stock Routes
Key Learning
Students will learn about the history, cultural heritage and environmental value of Australia’s stock routes.
Students will develop a deeper understanding about wildlife corridors and their role in flora and fauna
diversity.
The Australian Curriculum
Science / Science Understanding / Biological
sciences
Science / Science Understanding / Biological
sciences
Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each
other and the environment to survive. Year 4. (ACSSU073)
The growth and survival of living things are affected by the
physical conditions of their environment. Year 6. (ACSSU094)
Living things have structural features and adaptations that help
them to survive in their environment (ACSSU043)
There are differences within and between groups of organisms;
classification helps organise this diversity. Year 7. (ACSSU111)
Discussion Questions
1. In your own words describe what a stock route is.
2. It is legal to herd livestock across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. True or false?
3. What is a drover?
4. How were stock routes designed to help drovers and their livestock survive the journey?
5. Illustrate the journey of a drover and their livestock travelling via stock routes.
6. Nowadays how can you tell that you are driving on a stock route?
7. How long does Bill Little expect his journey will take from Qld to NSW via stock routes?
a. 6 days
b. 6 months
c.
6 years
8. List the animals that Bill is taking on his journey.
9. Why has Bill decided to transport his cattle via stock routes instead of using a truck?
10. What are some of the benefits of transporting livestock via stock routes?
©ABC 2013
Activities
Research
Show students the Queensland stock route network map to
give them an idea of the number of tracks in the state, and then
hold a class discussion.
http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/99624/
stock-routes-map.pdf
 What is a stock route?
 Who uses the stock routes?
 How many kilometres of Queensland’s roads are stock
routes?
Research the history, cultural heritage and environmental value
of stock routes in Queensland.
Department of Environment and Resource
Management
Wildlife corridors – science and biodiversity
Students will develop a deeper
understanding about wildlife corridors
and their role in flora and fauna
biodiversity.
 What are wildlife corridors?
Describe and illustrate.
 What is the difference between a
swamp, grasslands, forest and
heath?
 Wildlife corridors maintain
biodiversity. What does this
mean?
 Why are wildlife corridors
important for flora and fauna?
 What are the benefits for wildlife?
 What are some of the threats to
wildlife corridors?
 What can people do to help
preserve wildlife corridors?
The diagram above shows some important landscape elements
contributing to wildlife corridors.
Department of Environment: Wildlife corridors plans
http://www.environment.gov.au/node/16547
Find out what plants are native to your community. Consider planting some of these species in your school
garden to create your own flora and fauna corridor.
©ABC 2013
Get involved and have your voice heard
Explain that students will be constructing a persuasive text about the importance of stock routes for
biodiversity.
This activity introduces the structural framework and language features of persuasive texts to your students
and allows them to gain an understanding of the purposes of each sentence within a paragraph. Refer
students to the read, write, think persuasion map to plan their exposition text.
Provide students with the following structure to follow when completing this activity.
Have your voice heard!
 Contact your local Member of
Parliament and ask them to
support stock routes and wildlife
corridors.
 Write a letter to the editor of your
local newspaper and tell them
about your concerns.
Tips for persuasive text writing
 Who is your audience? For example are you directing your
argument at kids, teachers or politicians?
 Provide facts and evidence to support your argument.
 Be creative with your word choice to enhance your
argument. Convey emotion using thinking and feeling words.
 Write in the present tense
 Check your spelling and punctuation.
Structure of a persuasive text
Introduction
 What is the point you are trying to argue? Construct an
introductory paragraph which states the issue or topic.
 Introduce the arguments that will be developed in the body of
the text.
Body
 Construct arguments that support your point of view.
 Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence which introduces
each point.
 The rest of the paragraph gives more reasons.
 Arguments can be ordered from strongest to weakest.
Conclusion
 Restate your position on the argument
 Construct a concluding paragraph that provides a summary of
your arguments and a call to action.
Use the read, write, think persuasion map to plan your exposition
text.
Do you think stock routes should be retained, managed and restored? Have your say on the BtN Stock
Routes story page.
©ABC 2013
 Related Research Links
Preservation Society of Wildlife QLD – Save our stock routes
http://www.wildlife.org.au/conservation/issues/2008/stockroutes.html
Department of Natural Resources and Mines – About the Queensland stock route network
http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/land/accessing-using-land/stock-routes/about
Department of Environment – National Wildlife Corridors Plan
http://www.environment.gov.au/node/16547
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) – Wildlife Corridors
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/landholderNotes15WildlifeCorridors.pdf
Greenway: Cooks River to Iron Cove – Wildlife Corridor
http://www.greenway.org.au/biodiversity/g-wildlife-corridor
Urban Ecology Australia – Wildlife Corridors
http://www.urbanecology.org.au/topics/wildlifecorridors.html
Behind the News – Stock Routes
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2415295.htm
©ABC 2013