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At our houses, museums, gardens or reading rooms
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Museums
Elizabeth Bay House
Elizabeth Farm
Hyde Park Barracks
Justice & Police Museum
Meroogal
Museum of Sydney
Rose Seidler House
Rouse Hill Estate
Susannah Place
The Mint
Vaucluse House
Reading rooms
Caroline Simpson Library
State Archives Reading Room
Become a member
For exclusive Member events and experiences plus a range of year round benefits
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Become a member
For exclusive Member events and experiences plus a range of year round benefits
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What's on
Exhibitions, events, activations, celebrations and more
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Exhibitions
Displays
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Talks
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Webinars & online talks
Coomaditchie: The Art of Place
Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists
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Coomaditchie: The Art of Place
Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists
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Collections
Dive deep or just browse among our diverse and inspiring collections
View the collections
State Archives Collection
About
How to use
Subjects A-Z
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Visit the Reading Room
State Archives catalogue
Caroline Simpson Collection
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Visit the Library
Caroline Simpson catalogues
Talks & webinars
Museum Collections
About
How to use
Ask a Curator
Objects catalogue
Collections on Tour
We're on the road again, sharing our stories with the people of regional NSW
Read on
Collections on Tour
We're on the road again, sharing our stories with the people of regional NSW
Read on
Learning
Explore the past and imagine the future through immersive and interactive programs and resources, onsite and online
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Learn with us
Onsite programs
Virtual excursions
Learning resources
Learning
Discover past lives, events and stories in the places where they actually unfolded
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Learning
Discover past lives, events and stories in the places where they actually unfolded
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First Nations Hub
A dedicated space for First Nations community, cultures and history
Find out more
Read and reflect
First Nations Hub
First Nations Speaker Series
First Nations Community Access to Archives
First Nations stories
Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker
The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum
Read on
Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker
The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum
Read on
Get involved
Our supporters are a central part of our story and our success
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Donate
Internships
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Partner with us
Volunteer
Work experience
Stitching for our house museums
For almost 15 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has gathered to sew, crochet, knit, embroider and stuff historically authentic soft furnishings for our houses
Read more
Stitching for our house museums
For almost 15 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has gathered to sew, crochet, knit, embroider and stuff historically authentic soft furnishings for our houses
Read more
Stories
There’s no limit to the stories our houses, museums and collections can tell
Browse our stories
Popular topics
Architecture & design
Collections
Conservation
Convict Sydney
First Fleet
First Nations
Music
Photography
Regional NSW
Underworld of the Roaring 20s
Sydney Opera House
Women's stories
A new way of living
Once word spread about the newly built Rose Seidler House in 1950, it was the ‘most talked about house in Sydney’
Read more
A new way of living
Once word spread about the newly built Rose Seidler House in 1950, it was the ‘most talked about house in Sydney’
Read more
Venue hire
From magnificent colonial style buildings to iconic modern designed spaces, we have a venue ready for you
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Find your event space
Our venues
Weddings & celebrations
Film & photography
Corporate
Be inspired
Unique and spectacular spaces for your next event or occasion
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Be inspired
Unique and spectacular spaces for your next event or occasion
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Government services
Information and resources for managing, storing and transferring government records 
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Government Records Repository
Manage your records with GRR
GRRWeb
Agency Services
State Archives Agency services
Public access to records
Service portal
Transfer plans
Visit the State Records NSW website

Search our website and collections

Go direct to State Archives online indexes Go direct to State Archives catalogue

Downloading images from the State Archives catalogue

There are nearly 300,000 images digitised in our catalogue. This webinar shows you how to find and download an image.

Getting started

c.1923 colour sketch of alternative cantilever Sydney Harbour Bridge

Discovering the State Archives Collection

Explore the State Archives Collection on the MHNSW website

Discovering collections at MHNSW

A quick walk through the access points for Collections on the Museums of History NSW (MHNSW) website

Western Sydney Records Centre Open Day, 15 April 2023

Getting started with your research

Archives are the 'raw material of history'. The State archives document the business of government in New South Wales - and its interaction with people and groups in our society - from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 until today

Reading Room guide

Your responsibilities when using our facilities and how to handle original (uncopied) State archives. Our reading room staff are also on hand to provide expert and professional advice to help you get the most out of your visit.