State Archives Collection
Making history every day
The NSW State Archives Collection documents the daily work of the NSW Government and its agencies from 1788 to today. This vast collection records history as it happens, providing valuable and at times life-changing evidence of events and decisions that have shaped, and continue to shape, our history, communities and lives.
Online indexes, research guides & webinars are listed in Subjects A-Z. You can also search all the indexes at once via the catalogue.
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About us
About the State Archives Collection
The NSW State Archives Collection documents the daily work of the NSW Government and its agencies from 1788 to today
How to use the State Archives Collection
The largest collection of records relating to the history of NSW and the lives of its people
Collection strengths
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Search for people & places
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Assisted Immigrants index 1839-1896
Passengers arriving in Sydney & Newcastle 1844-59, Moreton Bay 1848-59 & Port Phillip 1839-51
Convicts index 1791-1873
140,000+ entries including certificates of freedom, bank accounts, & tickets of leave
1841 Census index
Records the population by police districts, counties & towns. The head of the household is recorded in the returns
Gaol inmates & prisoners photos index
Browse 50,000+ entries & download digitised photos from 1870 to 1930
Watch & learn
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Researching your house and property
Learn how to find house and property records in the NSW State Archives Collection
Probate packets
This webinar focuses on the sources for probate in the State Archives Collection and how to find them
Unassisted passenger lists online
Unassisted passengers are those who paid their own way. This webinar explains how to search lists of unassisted passenger arrivals to NSW
What can you find?
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Schools: what the files can tell you
School files very strongly reflect the growth or decline of towns and are an excellent source for your local history research
Bankruptcy: what the files can tell you
Bankruptcy files contain lists of creditors that the bankrupt person owed money to and debtors that owed money to the bankrupt person
Probate packets: what the files can tell you
Probate packets hold the last will and testament, codicils, an inventory of assets of the estate, affidavits of death and other papers
Stories & articles
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Eveleigh Workshops during the 1917 railway strike
On 2 August 1917 the General Strike began. It started in the Randwick Rail Workshops & Eveleigh Carriage Workshops & quickly spread to other industries until about 100,000 workers were on strike
Rescue Breathing, 1962
An instructional film demonstrating CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation techniques
![Government Printing Office 2 - 29953 - Opera House from Unilever Building [Sydney Opera House (N.S.W.); building construction] [GPO original locations or series - unnumbered] [4/03/1966]](https://images.slm.com.au/fotoweb/embed/2023/07/77f33ae978a14604963c244092d53545.jpg)
Sydney Opera House construction
We hold records relating to the construction of Sydney Opera House including the stages of construction, who was who, correspondence, plans, contracts, accounting records and more
Cummeragunja Walk Off
This page marks the 80th anniversary of the Cummeragunja Walk Off which began in February 1939 and ended nine months later in October/November.
Chaperone's diary of the 1857 Fitzjames voyage to Sydney
Matron Susan Austen, chaperone to 98 single females aboard the Fitzjames, kept a diary of the voyage, She recorded the dramas that unfolded: fights, theft, sea-sickness, tantrums & her own despair at their behaviour
Tilly Devine & the Razor Gang Wars, 1927–1931
Learn about the Razor gangs and their leaders Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh
History of Taronga Zoo
Can you imagine Sydney Harbour without Taronga Zoo perched on Bradley’s Head at Mosman? For one hundred years families have been making the trip by ferry, tram and car to see the exotic and native animals at Taronga and get a picturesque view of the harbour
Mary Reibey - convict and businesswoman
Mary Reibey is one of the most famous early convict women in the colony of New South Wales
News
Latest News
Newly digitised archives – married women teachers' applications
The Married Women (Lecturers and Teachers) Act of 1932 restricted employment of married women in the Department of Public Instruction. We hold 693 declarations for exemption by married women teachers for the years 1932–35
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UNE Heritage Centre re-opens
We were delighted to attend a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the University of New England (UNE) and Regional Archives
Latest News
More immigration records online
We are delighted to announce that our partner Ancestry has digitised, indexed and published an important set of 19th century NSW immigration records held in the NSW State Archives Collection