The present study traces the evolution of the history and geography syllabuses in Western Australian education in the period from 1890- 1936. This period was selected because it provides a valuable case study of the kinds of problems which beset the stages of curriculum dissemination and implementation. The study is important because no adequate survey of the history of the geography and history syllabuses seems to exist. The main contribution of this study is to trace the evolution of the history and geography syllabuses, and to identify some distinctive features which may be ascribed to the special circumstances of Western Australia. The study contributes both to our understanding of history and geography as a curriculum area, and the special problems posed by curriculum process. One outcome of the study will be a model depicting factors that facilitate or impede the curriculum process.