Introduction:

Topography maps provide information about the landforms in a particular section of the country. They give us longitude and latitude for location of place, plus elevation indicated by contour lines. Contour lines give an indication of the roughness of terrain. Certain characteristics of place may become evident, i.e., hilly regions, mountainous areas, or flat lands that will have an effect upon travel through these regions.

Longitude and latitude not only gives us location of place, but can provide information pertaining to climate, rainfall patterns, and characteristics of regions based on location, i.e., the tropics near the equator. Using a classroom atlas, investigate the various types of landform maps for a region. These might by patterns of settlement, climate, temperature, and rainfall. What impact does longitude and latitude have on these regions?

Vocabulary:

• latitude
• longitude
• absolute location
• contour
• togography
• relative location

Materials:

• Classroom atlas/map of the Northern Territory of Australia
• Topographic map
• Journal for recording data

Preparation:

• Make a list of sacred sites around Australia (these will be prominent landforms).
• Gather resource materials that will help students to locate these sacred sites.
• Identify some of the Dreaming stories that relate to these landmarks. (this may influence where the Dreaming sites are located and the shape of the various landforms as they relate to a Dreaming story)

Procedure:

• Using a topographic map or an atlas, locate Australia, then the Northern Territory.
• Using longitude and latitude, find the location of Uluru or Ayers Rock.
• List the name of the nearest supply points for overland travelers, i.e., water stops, food, mechanical supplies (for vehicles/bikes).
• List in student journals, using the coordinates of longitude and latitude, several famous landmarks and their location. Identify relative position and absolute location.

Analyze and Conclude:

Using a topographic map or an atlas of the Northern Territory, locate, using longitude and latitude coordinates, the location of Uluru or Ayers Rock. List the names of the nearest location for supplies and guess how these supply points might relate to Expedition 360’s travel across Australia.

Discuss in your group how this information would be useful to people traveling cross-country. What would they look for as far as landmarks that would make the trip easier? Would location of water be important? If you were an early day explorer what characteristics of a place would you document to help others locate your position? What information would be important to record for future reference? How would you describe the climate, region, landforms, etc., so that others could make decisions about travel to that particular place?

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