NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA

The National Archives of Australia holds the records of the Commonwealth government in both Canberra and State/Territory offices.

OVERSEAS

Daughters of William Coyle reading in the library, New South Wales, ca. 1920s
Daughters of William Coyle reading in the library, New South Wales, ca. 1920s, nla.obj-163129982

State and Territory libraries

State and territory libraries hold family history collections specialising in resources for their jurisdiction and a selection of material relating to other areas of Australia and overseas.

State and Territory archives

State and territory archives hold the records of government for their respective jurisdiction. Some archive websites allow users to freely search indexes to the material held in that archive eg. immigration, convict records, census, court records, hospitals, divorce, land, patents etc.

Portrait of a family in a gilded gold frame
Portrait of a family, ca 1860, Keast Burke collection on the history of photography, nla.obj-141546959

Dead reckoning : how to find your way through the genealogical jungle of Western Australia

An online version of the 1997 publication Dead Reckoning: how to find your way through the Genealogical Jungle of Western Australia. Hosted by the State Library of Western Australia.

Not sure where to start?

Ask a librarian

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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