 We are all used to running geography fieldwork for the physical geography topics like Coastal Management, Land and Water Management, Biophysical Interactions and Ecosystems At Risk. There are various companies that run great excursions for these topics, but when you get to the human geography topics it isn't so easy to find pre-organised excursions. For my Year 11 Geography class I've taught the compulsory Population topic, and then Cultural Integration as one of the optional topics. We've examined the topic of refugees as part of an exploration of population movements, so I decided on a trip to Cabramatta to explore the impact of the Vietnamese community on this south-west Sydney suburb. I suggested this as an option on the online group Geography Teachers Online. As a result, I met up with a couple of teachers to thrash out some ideas about options for fieldwork. Some of the ideas we came up with were: - questionnaire of local residents - land use survey - urban transect of the Main Street - environmental survey - a photo essay based on cultural influences in the suburb - an interview with a local government representative/Councillor Cabramatta Library is located a short walk from the railway station. They offer a presentation on how the suburb has changed over time and are very obliging to school groups. They provide a half hour video on the development of Fairfield Local Government Area covering indigenous history, early colonial development, the market farms, education, rail development and migration. The presentation focuses on the Fairfield Local Government Area as a whole rather than Cabramatta itself, but this provides an excellent idea of the context in which Cabramatta developed. Following this there was a presentation on Cabramatta itself focusing on statistical information from the Census. It is also possible to organise a walking tour through the local council with a guide included, but they require about a months notice.
There are lots of opportunities for students to try different foods and drinks. For lunch, we went to Guan An Bau Troung, located on the main street, John St.The students all ordered a dish of their own and then I ordered a few different dishes for them to try and share. The food was really cheap and the servings were huge, even for boys who eat their weight in food in a single sitting. Obviously I had to check all the allergies, anaphylaxis risks involved, but I really think sharing a meal is a great bonding experience for a class.
 If you want to have a look at the fieldwork activities we used the Cabramatta Excursion page of the www.preliminarygeography.hsieteachers.com site.
Back in the classroom we are going to analyse the field data a few different ways. - Students' field sketches will be scanned and shared. An analysis of the various cultural influences will be written. - We will create radar graphs from the environmental surveys - The questionnaire results will be shared amongst the class. Results will be tallied, and the implications of results considered. Is this community self-contained? Do residents spend most of their lives in and around the suburb? Is the ethnic background of residents still predominantly Vietnamese? The great thing about using Cabramatta as a fieldwork site in Year 11 is that is also a great case study for the following HSC year. You can refer back to it and draw on the students' experience when you are short on time and trying to maximise time in class. Cabramatta makes a great study for looking at ethnicity in Sydney as part of the Urban Places topic. You can find a summary of this part of the course that I wrote last year for HSC Online.
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Cabramatta – background information The Vietnamese community in Cabramatta developed following the acceptance of refugees from South East Asia following the Vietnam War. The refugees had suffered greatly prior to their arrival in Australia. Many had fought, witnessed the deaths of family members, and spent time in "re-education centres" as refugees. Upon arrival they struggled to settle into Australian society. Language barriers, racism, economic hardship, high unemployment rates combine to create an unfavourable set of circumstances. In the wake of Australia's new multicultural policy, the community recreated aspects of traditional Vietnamese life. The streetscape began to reflect the shapes and colours of Vietnam, the main street began to look like a market place with shop fronts being extended onto the streets, and cultural landmarks such as temples were constructed. Limited support services were provided for the Cabramatta community, and a drug and crime culture established itself in second generation Vietnamese-Australians. Many attempts were made to clean up the community with some success. Read about the Cabramatta Moon Festival. Dictionary of Sydney (Vietnamese) (This contains very detailed information about Vietnamese migration, Cabramatta, etc). View... Skwirk Cabramatta resources. View... One Day In Cabramatta. View... Fieldwork: Field sketch Environmental survey Photographic evidence Land use survey Shop front analysis Questionnaire Field sketch Draw two different field sketches of Cabramatta - one that shows the influence of Asian culture, and one which shows hints of European culture. Ensure that you annotate your field sketch. Click to revise how to do a field sketch. Environmental survey Examine the following environmental criteria and make a judgement about the main street of Cabramatta. This is a subjective task and requires you to make a judgement about what you think of the location and how it makes you feel. For each item you need to give a rating from 1 to 5 (tick the box).  Photographic evidence During the day, take photographs that demonstrate: - Cabramatta’s European heritage - Cabramatta’s Vietnamese heritage - Multiculturalism - Different land use types.
Land use survey As you walk along the streets annotate your map indicating which land uses are present. Before you begin, fill in the key below with colours or symbols to represent each land use.   Reflection: - Describe how the different land uses are represented in discrete zones in the suburb of Cabramatta. - Explain why the commercial and medium/high density residential land uses are concentrated in particular areas. Shop analysis Complete an shop front analysis on at least 3 shops 1. Name of the shop 2. Are there any signs in another language visible at the front of the shop? Yes/ No 3. Does the architecture of the shop reflect Asian/Vietnamese culture? Yes/ No If yes, how? 4. What type of shop is it?Restaurant/Cafe Shopping (Retail) Groceries Entertainment Questionnaire  
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