VELS 5
VCEJohn Batman's treaty
John Batman's treaty
Use these materials with the worksheets on the right, to help students evaluate sources and analyse documents. Below the worksheets are printable versions of all materials, which you can use in the classroom.
For more information on evaluating sources see:
See curriculum links
Relevant VCE areas of study include:
VCE Australian History
– Unit 3 Imagining Australia
Area of study 1 – A new land: Port Phillip District 1830–1860 – Outcome 1
– Key knowledge
- ideas underpinning the settlement and migration to the Port Phillip District, including ideas about European expansion in the new world and land ownership, and the motivations of some individuals and groups
- the impact of European settlement on the Aboriginal communities of Port Phillip and their response to it.
– Key skills
- analyse and evaluate written and visual historical evidence
- synthesise material and evidence to draw conclusions
- analyse the way that the experience of the period (1830-1860) has been interpreted and understood over time by historians.
For more information see Curriculum Links VCE [pdf 27KB]
See background information
In 1835, John Batman travelled to Port Phillip with the intention of ‘purchasing' the land around
the bay on the behalf of the Port Phillip Association. Batman brought with him
legal documents, which were allegedly signed by Indigenous leaders on the Yarra.
However, what became known as ‘Batman's Treaty' was never recognised by the
colonial government, which insisted that the land belonged to the crown
according to the concept of terra nullius.
For
additional information, see:
Batman's treaty
The Batman Deed Melbourne
Creator
John
Batman and the Port Phillip Association
Date created
1835
Important to note
The
marks in the bottom right hand corner of the page were supposedly the
signatures of Aboriginal ‘chiefs', even though Indigenous communities don't
have chiefs. In addition, Batman's translators were from New South Wales, and spoke an entirely different language to Kulin
people on the Yarra.
Practice signatures in Batman's Journal
Creator
John
Batman
Date created
1835
Important to note
At
the bottom of this page of Batman's diary, there are marks that look
suspiciously like the signatures on the treaty. This has led some historians to
think that Batman may have forged the signatures on the treaty.
