Australian History

Introduction

The National Library of Australia has very rich collections of Australian history material, including large collections such as the Ferguson and Petherick collections and many smaller ones on specific aspects of Australia's history. 

Material held covers all formats, including books, journals, newspapers, manuscripts and microform materials.

Please note: A separate guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is found here.

Legal Deposit

Under the terms of the Copyright Act 1968 the National Library is entitled to receive one copy of every item published in Australia. 

This ensures that currently published material relating to Australian history is received as comprehensively as possible. 

In addition, the Library actively pursues material published overseas by Australian authors or on Australian topics.

National Library collections

Willis Collection - oral histories

Cazneaux Collection - historical photographs

See also: Australian Joint Copying Project  

Using the National Library Catalogue

 

To search for general works about Australian history, select the 'Browse alphabetically' option, then 'subjects' . Some examples of Browse/Subjects searches are:

 

 

Don't forget to look for journals published on the topic of Australian history. You can find them in the Catalogue using the subject heading:

Many journals found in the Catalogue have links to an online journal. They are also available in electronic databases through the Library's eresources, or on the internet. Content may be full text or abstract information only. 

Some selected journal titles are:

To search for works about a particular aspect of Australian history. add the topic to your search. Examples are:
 
Are there any online resources for Australian history?

Electronic resources are listed at the Library's eresources pages. They may include some full-text. 

Key items are:
 
The Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography. In it you will find concise, informative and fascinating descriptions of the lives of significant and representative persons in Australian history.
 
The Australian Periodical Publications 1840-1845 provides web access to digital copies of Australian serials first published between 1840 and 1845.
 
Related guides
 
Our reference services
The National Library's reference librarians can often suggest resources for you to use; you can find some of these suggestions in this guide.

We can't conduct extensive, time consuming, research. In many cases, historical research requires more time than we are able to give.

In some cases you may need to consult private professional researchers for ongoing or extensive historical research. Some relevant associations are listed here.

 

General works

Featured resource

Australia : moments in history : from Captain Cook to the 21st century by Victor Swain, 2011

From the first pioneers battling the elements, industrial success, great literature and theatre, the tragedy and triumph of 20th century war, victories in sport and an ever-changing relationship between human and land, this is the story of Australia.

 
Catalogue searches
 
Chronologies

Selected works

A history of Australia (2011) Mark Peel and Christina Twomey. An issue-based history of Australia with a clear chronological narrative.

Databases

AUSCHRON - A Chronology of Australian Historic & Current Events Provides a listing of significant events in Australian history with emphasis on current happenings, and covering all topics from politics and law to the arts and sport. Available inside the National Library of Australia building only.

 
Electronic resources

Key items are:

 

 
National Library collections

Petherick collection

The gift of the collection of Edward Augustus Petherick presented to the Library in 1909 and comprising ‘some 10,000 volumes and 6,500 pamphlets, maps, manuscripts and pictures relating to Australia and the Pacific area’.

Ferguson collection

The collection of Sir John Alexander Ferguson, transferred over many years, totals some 34,000 printed and manuscript items relating to Australia and the Pacific.

 

Primary sources

Featured resource
Drouin State School children tend the school's garden

 

Drouin State School children tend the school's garden

"U429/4. Drouin State School children tend the school's garden; boys aged 10 to 14 years receive an hours agricultural instruction a week which means digging and growing cabbages, onions, potatoes, carrots, salads, tomatoes, Girls tend the flowers. Last year the school welfare fund made 46 pounds for sale of vegetables grown by the boys to the townsfolk. ..."--Printed on label.

See also:

The school paper for grades III and IV  Other grades available  
 
School days : looking back on education in Victoria Brings together articles from the shool paper, covering the monarchy, the war years and life at home and at school.
 
Primary source materials

Manuscripts

Ephemera

Newspapers and Biog Files

Archived websites

Oral Histories

Maps

 
Case Study
 
How do I get a copy of a diary?

NLAref66392

use finding aids

Get number of pages

copies direct

microforms can be sent on interlibrary loan

 
National Library Collections

Nan Kivell Collection

The Nan Kivell Collection includes:

  • About 5000 books, pamphlets and periodicals in the Nan Kivell Collection, mostly published in the period 1770–1900.
  • 312 manuscript items or collections relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in the period 1750–1900. They include ships’ logs, diaries, letters, literary manuscripts, family papers and cutting books.
  • Paintings, drawings and prints collected by Nan Kivell form the centrepiece of his collection and occupy a unique place within the Library’s Pictures Collection.
  • A wide range of objects and artefacts in his collection.
 

Discovery

Featured resource

John Hamilton Mortimer and the discovery of Captain Cook

John Hamilton Mortimer and the discovery of Captain Cook

Mortimer, John Hamilton, 1740-1779.
Captain James Cook, Sir Joseph Banks, Lord Sandwich, Dr Daniel Solander and Dr John Hawkesworth [picture]
1771? 1 painting : oil on canvas ; 120 x 166 cm.
 
National Library collections

Nan Kivell collection

The Rex Nan Kivell collection, purchased in 1962, comprises pictures, prints, maps, manuscripts, books, pamphlets and photographs relating to the discovery and settlement of lands in the South Seas.

 
Discovery and exploration of Australia

There are many publications on the history of Australia's discovery and exploratiion. Structure your searches for precise results, using:

  • time period
  • geographical area
  • individual explorer

In the Catalogue, select the 'Browse alphabetically' option, then 'subjects'. Examples are:

 

Periodicals

 
Print resources: Selected titles

http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5787168 - Terra Australis : Matthew Flinders' great adventures in the circumnavigation of Australia

 
Online databases

Key items are:

 
Case study

NLAref66480  and  NLAref65878 - captain cook's journal

 
Related links
 
Featured resource

The life of Captain James Cook by J.C. Beaglehole

The life of Captain James Cook by J.C. Beaglehole, 1974. The culmination of the life work of the most distinguished historian of Pacific exploration, this lavishly illustrated biography places Cook in the context of his times and affirms his eminence in the history of maritime discovery.

 

Convicts

Featured resource

 the real story

In The First Fleet: The Real Story, 2012, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk persistent myths about the poor organisation of the expedition. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned - reflecting its importance to the British government's secret ambitions for imperial expansion.

 
Print resources in the National Library

Convicts New South Wales

 First Fleet 1787-1788

The First Fleet : the real story - http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5738526

Bushrangers : Australia's greatest self-made heroes - http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5747534

Convicts and the colonies : a study of penal transportation from Great Britain and Ireland to Australia and other parts of the British Empire / [by] A. G. L. Shaw - http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/5740202

Convict workers : reinterpreting Australia's past / edited by Stephen Nicholas - http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18490742

The Australian people : an encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins / edited by James Jupp - http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18741273

1788 : the brutal truth of the First Fleet : the biggest single overseas migration the world had ever seen / David Hill - http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/33472105

The changing face of Australia : a century of immigration 1901-2000 / Kate Walsh - http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/35299347

Other websites and resources you might find useful include:

http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/convicts/

http://www.genealogylinks.net/australia/all-australia/convic...etc

http://www.coraweb.com.au/convict.htm

 
Selected online databases
 
Case study

 

NLAref53369 - Captain Arthur Phillip's uniform

 
Related websites
 

Federation

Featured resource

1 handkerchief : linen ; 45.1 x 45.5 cm.
Includes portraits and a map of Australia and New Zealand
nla.pic-an7828334
 
Online resources
 

Australia at war

Featured resource

 back at Buire, December 1916

Australians at war : back at Buire, December 1916 Dyson, Will, 1880-1938

A collection of lithographs made from drawings by Will Dyson while acting as a war artist with the Australian Imperial Forces

 
Case study

NLAref66002 - women at war

NLAref65196 - TB in returned soldiers

 
Related links
 

Politics

National Library collections

Riley Collection - Australian labour movement

Deakin Collection - Politics and government 

Hughes Collection - Politics and government 

 

The States

Featured resource

[Melbourne] : National Game Co., [ca. 1910]
Folding board game based on a map of a journey around Australia by aeroplane (bi-plane). Geographically historical named areas include: Northern Territory of South Australia, British New Guinea (Papua) and an area marked for the Federal Capital.
nla.pic-an23162692
 
 
Tasmania
 
Western Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5748448 - A concise history of Western Australia