National Library of Australia

Newspapers found

No copies of the first editions (1908-1911) of the Blyth Agriculturist, a mid-north South Australian newspaper, were known to have survived until a brittle bundle of them was discovered in the offices of the Northern Argus newspaper in 2006. Recognising their significance from the list of missing newspapers that the State Library of South Australia maintains through the Australian Newspaper Plan, the Clare Regional History Group donated them to the Library for preservation.

Picture of restored Blyth Agriculturist

Blyth Agriculturist: The pages of the 1908 issues were in brittle fragments and before the Library’s reformatting staff could microfilm them for ANPlan, conservation staff humidified the fragments to remove creases, painstakingly reassembled them and adhered them to acid-free backing tissue with wheat starch. Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.

Similar discoveries may be waiting in other states. Please tell us if you think you may have one of Australia's missing newspapers.

In 2008/9, the following newspapers were found:

  • Army News (1941-1946) issues missing from Australian libraries’ collections were borrowed from the Australian War Memorial for microfilming by the Northern Territory Library (NTL) and National Library of Australia (NLA).
  • Barfly donated to State Library of Queensland (SLQ)
  • Butterfly (Nov 1869; Apr-Aug 1870)*
  • Cassowary Times donated to SLQ
  • Colonial Record (1839)*
  • Colonial Times (1825-1857)*
  • Cornwell Chronicle (1935-1845; 1847-1880)*
  • Courier Mail (15 Aug 1945) donated to SLQ
  • Emu Bay Times and North West & West Coast Advocate (1898-1899)*
  • Gympie Times (25 Apr 1992; 2 May 1992; 13 Feb 1992; 19 Dec 1995; 15 Apr 2005) donated to SLQ
  • Hobart Town Courier (1827-1859)*
  • Illustrated Tasmanian Mail (1921-1935)*
  • Mackay MidWeek (14 Nov 1984-23 Dec 1986) donated to SLQ
  • Marlin Coast Gazette donated to SLQ
  • Monitor (1894-1920)*
  • Morning Star (1891-1894)*
  • Muckay Mockery (1966-1999) donated to SLQ
  • North Western Advocate (Devonport) and the Emu Bay Times (Burnie) Tasmania (1900-1911)*
  • Rockhampton Bulletin and North Queensland Advertiser (July 1861-Dec 1862) (SLQ)
  • Son of Barfly donated to SLQ
  • Suburbia donated to SLQ
  • Sugar valley community news (Mar. 1992-Mar. 1996) borrowed for microfilming by the State Library of NSW (SLNSW)
  • Tasmanian (Oct-Dec 1834)*
  • Vema (Greek newspaper; 1971-1990), donated to the SLNSW.
  • Wagga Wagga progress weekly (Vol. 1, no. 7; May 22, 1969) donated (SLNSW).
  • Weekly Courier (1901-1935)*
  • Western Weekly News (April-Oct 1902) five issues and one part issue donated to the State Library of South Australia (SLSA).

* In 2008 the Archives Office of Tasmania (AOT) combined with the Heritage Collections section of the State Library of Tasmania to form the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO). As a consequence of this merger, a number of titles formerly on the 'missing' list that were in AOT are to be incorporated into the one Newspaper collection in TAHO. This is a transitional process.

See also:

Search and Rescue campaign report, 2009

Queensland found newspapers

Previously missing Queensland newspapers found as a result of the State Library of Queensland's Search and Rescue campaign. Conservation treatment was required to preserve these newspapers once they had been found. Photo courtesy of State Library of Queensland.

Last updated 15 January 2010

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Wanted: Australia's Missing Newspapers

Lists of missing titles:

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia