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.

About us

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Old books both upright and laying flat on shelving

How to use the State Archives Collection

The largest collection of records relating to the history of NSW and the lives of its people

NSW State Archives - Western Sydney Records Centre, 161 O'Connell Street, Kingswood, Sydney Open 2022

Plan your visit

State Archives Reading Room, Kingswood

Aboriginal Languages and Nations in NSW & ACT © Reconciliation NSW

First Nations Community Access to Archives

This project aims to improve access for First Nations people to important archival material about culture, kinship, stories, and languages within the State Archives Collection

Black and white photo of clerks working at desks in an office, surrounded by large ledgers and pigeon holes and paperwork

Ask an Archivist

We’re here to help you access and use our collection

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

Early convict indent, 1791

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

Mugshot of Lottie May Little, 1917

Gaol inmates & prisoners photos index

Browse 50,000+ entries & download digitised photos from 1870 to 1930

Watch & learn

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c.1923 colour sketch of alternative cantilever Sydney Harbour Bridge

Discovering the State Archives Collection

Explore the State Archives Collection on the MHNSW website

A man and woman sit at the foot of the stairs of a homestead with a wrap around verandah. A dog sits between them

Researching your house and property

Learn how to find house and property records in the NSW State Archives Collection

A last will and testament from 1863

Probate packets

This webinar focuses on the sources for probate in the State Archives Collection and how to find them

1909 Passenger list for the ship Paloona

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

Government Printing Office; NRS 4481, Glass negatives NRS-4481-4-161-[AF00198139] Agricultural College Boys [Department of Agriculture] [no date]

Raising the Farmer

Explore with us some of the 6,000 unique and beautiful glass negatives taken to illustrate articles in the Agricultural Gazette of NSW – now digitally available on our website, a unique slice of rural life

Government Printing Office; NRS 4481, Parramatta [Gaol] [Department of Public Works] [no date]

Tracing NSW gaol inmates

This webinar shows you how to use the State Archives collection to trace your ancestors through the NSW prison system, uncovering their crimes and incarcerations

Government Printing Office; NRS 4481, Glass negatives. NRS-4481-3-[7/15883]-M2439 | Government Printing Office 1 - 30700 - Supreme Court, King and Elizabeth Streets, Sydney [From NSW Government Printer series: City Views]

Equity Court records

Since 1823 the Equity Jurisdiction has dealt with matters of fairness and the enforcing of rights not recognised at Common Law

The Lord's Prayer - Religious tract written in an Aboriginal language 1836

First Nations Community Access to Archives

Join the First Nations Community Access to Archives project team in deep listening to learn about the journey of storytelling, truth-telling and language revitalisation

What can you find?

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building plan from the Broken Hill Public School file

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

digitised page from a bankruptcy file

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

Directions for making a will, from a 1929 probate file

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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A view of old Parliament House from the driveway

Canberra – the federal capital contest

This record series from the State Archives Collection sheds light on the proud efforts a number of towns, villages and other areas took to present their submissions to become the capital of the new Commonwealth

Sydney Opera House drawings

An International Competition for the design of a National Opera House at Bennelong Point was held in 1956. We hold the original drawings submitted by Jørn Utzon and other competition records

A crowd of people in a rotunda decorated with streamers

Celebrating federation

The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed on 1 January 1901. The Federation Pavilion in Sydney’s Centennial Park was the focus of the inauguration ceremonies and a five mile procession through the decorated streets of Sydney was greeted by large crowds

A collection of old printed documents

Cummeragunja Walk Off

The Cummeragunja Walk Off which began in February 1939 has been described as the first ever mass strike of Aboriginal people in Australia. It brought about changes to the Aborigines Protection Act of NSW

A large group of men stand in front of a train carriage at the Eveleigh Workshops in 1917

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

Taronga Zoo

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

First train leaving the new Sydney Central Station, 1906

Central Railway Station: through the Lens

Highlighting the transformation of Central Railway Station from its opening in 1855 to 1921 when the clocktower was completed

News

page from an 1836 bundle of correspondence
Latest News

Languages alive 2024

In the second annual NSW Aboriginal Languages Week, held on 20–27 October, we celebrate the determination and courage of First Nations peoples to maintain and revitalise languages

A large register sits open showing handwritten entries of wages paid to orphans
Latest News

Wages Paid to Orphans – a regional tour

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Collections on Tour program on Wages paid to orphans, 1849-1851

Cover label Small debts registers [Newcastle Court of Petty Sessions]
Latest News

Archives for Everyone

The Archives for Everyone project has seen us partner with 14 groups who have nominated Small Debts registers from Courts of petty sessions throughout NSW