Overview
James Cook embarked on his first voyage of scientific exploration onboard HMB Endeavour (1768-1771). The voyage would take 3 years and would take him across the Pacific Ocean in search of new people and places.
Students engage in online tours of the replica Endeavour to develop questions about the people onboard and the role they played in the scientific voyage. Students will engage in self-guided inquiry, conducting research to learn more about the achievements of James Cook and the Endeavour voyage.
Key inquiry question:
What can we learn about the achievements of the Endeavour voyage by visiting the replica Endeavour?
HMB Endeavour is a replica of the original HMB Endeavour. The ship is one the world's most accurate maritime replica vessels being constructed from the original Endeavour plans. It encompasses 30 kilometres of rigging, 750 wooden blocks and 28 sails. The ship has been fitted out with replica objects to represent life onboard as Cook and crew sailed the Pacific on the Endeavour’s voyage of scientific and geographic discovery.
Conduct virtual tours of Endeavour to guide an inquiry into the achievements of James Cook and the Endeavour voyage.
- Identify if the replica Endeavour is a primary or secondary source. Analyse the replica as a source, its origins and purpose and its usefulness in providing information for inquiry.
- View the video A walk-through on board HMB Endeavour to observe the many features and objects that represent life on board the Endeavour. The replica Endeavour is a working vessel and modern safety equipment and crew quarters have been added to allow the vessel to sail. Can you identify modern sailing equipment? What makes you think that?
- Conduct a second viewing to identify and select objects that can be used to inform you on the intentions and outcomes of the voyage. Closely examine the objects as you take a virtual tour of Endeavour recording the object's name, description, purpose and the person on board who would have used it.
- Compile your findings to identify the role of James Cook, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, Sydney Parkinson and Charles Green.
Conduct research to identify and describe the main achievements of the Endeavour voyage.
- Engage with the Museum’s Digibook ABC Digibook HMB Endeavour's voyage of exploration to learn more about the individual achievements.
- Watch Mapping the Coast (Vimeo 5:59mins) to identify Cook's role in cartography.
- The Naturalist (Video 5:09mins) and the collection of Botanical art and illustrations from HMB Endeavour in the digital collections of the British Library to learn about Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in the field of botany.
- Engage with the Endeavour teaching resources to learn more about the role of Charles Greene and the Transit of Venus.
Reflect on your learning and the questions that it might raise? Develop a set of questions for your upcoming excursion to Endeavour. What would you like to learn about? How do you think you will find out?
Assess Cook’s achievements in commanding the Endeavour and his role in saving the ship when it crashed into the Great Barrier Reef near Cooktown off Queensland’s coast.
- Watch the video Trouble on the Reef and record the decisions made. Explain how it helped.
- Read the text On A Day Such As This by Neil Murray to learn about the 'luck' Cook had in finding a location to repair the ship. How much did luck play in the way things turned out?
Communicate what you have learnt in an audiovisual or written report.
Main image: HMS Endeavour off the coast of New Holland, by Samuel Atkins c.1794