State Archives Collection

A brief overview of the major sources we hold that relate to the main records of the Commissioners of Crown lands and key related series

This Guide provides an historical background on the conditional purchase scheme in NSW from 1862 to 1951, also known as 'free selection before survey' along with a list of the major record series and step-by-step guidance on how to access them

This court resolved the claims of people who had been promised land grants but were not in possession of the titles, or where the land was in the possession of others claiming to have lawful right to it

Sources relating to the occupation of Crown lands in the period prior to 1856

These records relate to the original alienation of land from the Crown. Parish maps are useful for research in this area, as they record original grants

A joint initiative between NSW State Archives and Lands and Property Information (LPI) to provide online access to a number of historical land title records was announced in November 2010. Using the popular search tool PIXEL (now HLRV) researchers can now search and view Old Form Torrens Title Registers, Charting Maps and Crown Plans online

Land value refers to the monetary value of the land only and does not include the value of the home or other structures on the land

The Real Property Act, 1862 established a system whereby owners could convert land granted prior to 1863 to Real Property Act title. This is done by what is called a Primary Application

A list of the main land records in our collection that relate to returned soldier settlement after World War I. The passage of the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act 1916, (Act No 21 1916) allowed the settlement of returned soldiers on Crown and Closer Settlement lands. When applying for land, an ex-serviceman was required to complete a Qualification Certificate which was a declaration of his or her status as an ex-service person and eligibility for land