Publications for the public
Many items are available to purchase securely online at shop.nsw - the NSW Government shop. If an item is not available on shop.nsw use our print-friendly order form (PDF, 193kb).
All prices include GST. All prices are listed in Australian dollars (AUD$). Mail order prices include postage & handling. Please direct all enquiries to the Assistant, Publications and Online Services at puboff@records.nsw.gov.au.
See our Stocktake Clearance Sale!
Archives Resources Kit
The ARK was a result of our Access for All initiative to provide people in regional and rural NSW with better access to the State's archives.
The Kit contains microform copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. It is available in 40 community access points throughout NSW.
The Kit builds on a genealogical research kit issued in the 1980s. It includes explanatory material and links to information available on our website.
You can purchase parts of the ARK for your local/family history society, or if you own your own microform reader, for yourself.
Archives in Brief
AIB leaflets are an excellent starting point for your research. And they are free.
They are designed to give you brief historical information on a particular topic, along with a list of the most relevant records in our collection. They also provide practical tips and information to carry out your research. Some leaflets contain details about our facilities and procedures.
All AIB leaflets are free and can be accessed online and in the readings rooms.
Books
The Administration of New South Wales Vol 1
Hilary Golder, UNSW Press and State Records NSW, 2005
1842-1900. Hilary Golder's history locates administrative developments in their social and political context, showing how the administration of New South Wales developed in response to a set of distinctively Australian problems and solutions. She has drawn on parliamentary papers, politicians' private correspondence and the rich resource of surviving government records to attempt a more sympathetic reading of administrative challenges in a growing colony.
Price = $59.95 By mail = $71.95 (includes postage & handling) Overseas orders = $84.95
The Administration of New South Wales Vol 2
Peter J Tyler, UNSW Press and State Records NSW, 2005
1901-1960. New South Wales government administration increased four-fold during the first six decades of the twentieth century with population growth and greater community expectations. Peter Tyler's history draws on the treasure trove of original material in the NSW State archives collection and other sources to show how the bureaucracy coped, and sometimes stumbled, during sixty years of massive social change.
Price = $59.95 By mail = $71.95 (includes postage & handling) Overseas orders = $84.95
SPECIAL! Buy the two volumes of The Administration of New South Wales for just $99.00
» See more details about the special (PDF, 746kb)CD-Roms
The index focuses on the early inhabitants of our nation - the convicts, settlers, indigenous Australians and colonial officials. It also contains many entries relating to ships, subjects, towns and localities. This CD is also part of the ARK.
Price = $39.95 By mail = $42.95 (includes postage & handling)
DVDs
New! 'Old Register' One to Nine DVD
Registers of assignments and other legal instruments
The nine volumes of Registers of assignments and other legal instruments, known as the 'Old Registers' (NRS 5604), provide a valuable insight into this State's colonial history from 1794 to 1824. They include information on: land transactions; domestic legal matters such as affidavits, bills of sale and bonds; whaling and shipping agreements; a variety of deeds; letters of power of attorney; names of early colonists; and place names within Sydney and the colony.
» See more information about this DVD
Printed Guides
The Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP) celebrated 50 years of service in 1998. This Guide aims to make the records concerning the operation of adult migrant education in New South Wales more accessible to researchers by bringing together records from the holdings of State Records. The records highlight the program's contribution to building a strong and diverse community in New South Wales.
The Guide lists the main series in our collection relating to adult migrant education. It also includes series from other agencies that further an understanding of the migrant education experience. These records date from the arrival of post World War II European migrants to the mid 1980s.
Price = $13.20 Special = $2.00 By mail = $5.00 (includes postage & handling)
Responsible government shifted responsibility from the Imperial Parliament and its colonial representatives to local decision making.
Cover of guide 22 May 2006 commemorated the occasion of the first sitting of the first Parliament of the Colony of New South Wales, marking 150 years of responsible government.
This guide helps to commemorate the establishment of responsible government and highlights some of the key events and movements that have played their part in making the State and its Parliament what they are today.
By publishing this guide, we aim to make the New South Wales Government's records of the movement to, and development of, responsible governernment in the State more accessible to all those interested in this area of historical research.
See more information about this guide.
Price = $35.00 Special = $25.00 By mail = $37.00 (includes postage & handling)
The Guide to NSW State Archives relating to Convicts and Convict Administration (the Convict Guide) provides an entry into an unique collection of records, created by both the British Government and the Colonial administration, covering the period 1788-1842, including the 'convict exiles' of the 1840s and 1850s. It is divided into eighteen chapters that follow the course of the convicts' 'careers' - starting with their trial and transportation and 'ending' with freedom, later punishments or death.
Each chapter provides: a brief historical overview, to set the scene; a list of indexes to relevant records; details of the government agencies and the records they created and maintained. An extensive index also provides a useful entry point to the guide.
See more information about this guide.
Price = $59.95 By mail = $71.95 (includes postage & handling)
This Guide consists of a listing and description of records held by the Archives Authority which relate to Aboriginal people. It is divided into two parts:
Part One is a list of the records created and used by the Aborigines Protection Board - renamed the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1940 - which was established in 1883 and held its final meeting in 1969. This was the main New South Wales State Government agency which implemented and administered the legislation and policy having an impact on Aboriginal people throughout New South Wales.
Part Two is a list of material created by other New South Wales Government agencies which contains significant mention of Aboriginal people. It should be borne in mind, however, that this is not an exhaustive list of sources which can be used in tracing Aboriginal family and personal history. References to Aboriginal people are likely to be found throughout the records of various Government agencies held by the Archives Authority and may be located by means of the various guides, finding aids and indexes available in both of the Authority's Search Rooms.
Price = $27.80 By mail = $30.80 (includes postage & handling)
The Archives Resources Kit (ARK) was a result of our Access for all initiative to provide people in regional and rural NSW with better access to the State's archives. The Kit consists of microform copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records.
State Records has established community access points at the following places:
Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Bega, Bourke, Broken Hill, Canberra, Casino, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Cooma, Deniliquin, Dubbo, Forster, Gosford, Goulburn, Grafton, Griffith, Inverell, Kempsey, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Maitland, Moree, Mudgee, Muswellbrook, Newcastle (Newcastle Region Library, University of Newcastle), Nowra, Orange, Parkes, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Taree, Tenterfield, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong (Wollongong City Library, University of Wollongong), Young.
Price = $19.80 By mail = $22.80 (includes postage & handling)
Short Guides
Short Guides are easy reference to record series relating to a particular subject or area of research.
1. Electoral rolls
We hold a number of early manuscript and printed electoral rolls in the records of the Colonial Secretary's Office. This guide lists those known to be held, Electoral Rolls, 1842-64, CGS 1199.
Price = $6.60 By mail = $9.60 (includes postage & handling)
2. Birth, death and marriage records
These records listed also include those such as baptisms, convicts' applications to marry, coroners' inquests and probate.
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
3. Returns of the Colony 'Blue Books'
The Returns of the Colony ('Blue Books'), CGS 1286 consist of sets of statistical returns of the Colony of NSW and of areas under its jurisdiction compiled annually from 1822 to 1857 by the Colonial Secretary for transmission to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London.
Price = $6.60 By mail = $9.60 (includes postage & handling)
4. Attorney General and Justice - Registry of births, deaths and marriages
State registration of births, deaths and remarriages commenced in NSW on 1st March 1856. This guide covers registers of births, deaths and marriages for 1787-1856.
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
5. Index to Abstract of all licences for marriage to free persons, Mar 1813-26 Dec 1827
This guide provides an Index to the Abstract of all licences for marriage granted to free persons, 17 March 1813 - 26 December 1827. The information given in the Abstract includes number of licence; date of licence; names of parties; and, where, when and by whom the marriage was solemnised. In many cases name of parent (father and mother), name of previous spouse (for women only), occupation, and place of residence are also recorded.
Price = $8.80 By mail = $11.80 (includes postage & handling)
6. Department of Education - subject files, 1875-1948
These files deal with the administration of the Education Department and matters relating to education generally. Subjects covered are diverse, ranging from routine administrative matters to policy issues. The correspondence is incomplete for many subjects however; some subjects are covered in some detail, for example Parents and Citizens Associations, Schools of Arts and Teachers' Colleges.
Price = $6.60 By mail = $9.60 (includes postage & handling)
7. 1901 Census - Collectors' books
The 1901 Census is the latest census held by State Records. This guide provides a list of the Collectors' Books which are arranged alphabetically by census district. Each subdistrict is allocated a number or letter and is arranged chronologically within the census district. Many of the subdistricts include a map and a brief description of the area boundaries; all identify the collector responsible for the area.
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
8. Land grants, 1788-1856
The records listed in this Short Guide relate to the original alienation of land from the Crown. Alienation of land lead to the granting of freehold title, or land grants
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
9. Naturalisation and Denization records, 1834-1903
The naturalization and denization records described in this guide contain details of citizenship rights granted to aliens of non-British origin between 1834 and 1903. These people came from a wide range of national backgrounds—Chinese, Danish, French, German, Italian and Polish to name a few.
Price = $6.60 By mail = $9.60 (includes postage & handling)
10. Professions and Occupations: A select list of sources
This guide lists a selection of the more significant State archives relating to particular professions and occupations
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
12. Muster and Census Records
This Guide lists the more significant State archives relating to muster and census records, 1788-1901. Sections of the guide cover records that are available for: New South Wales; Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). Other sections include copies of records from the Public Record Office in London, printed sources and related records.
Price = $8.80 By mail = $11.80 (includes postage & handling)
13. Surveyor General: Surveyor's Field Books, 1794-1831
Field books are diaries of surveying expeditions, descriptions of natural features, sketches of farms, town allotments and roads. Trigonometrical observations and triangulation surveys are also included. In some field books references to map and plan catalogue numbers have been added. The field books are also searchable online.
Price = $11.00 By mail = $14.00 (includes postage & handling)
Souvenirs
Our souvenirs for sale include:
Poster of the Australian Mail Steamer "Orient", 1880
A copy of the original plan [SR Plan 2095] held in our collection. Includes ship dimensions and tons. Above this detailed plan are smaller sketches of other ships. Poster size is 620mm x 210mm.
Price = $4.00 By mail = $7.00 (includes postage & handling)
Cazneaux Poster - Waiting for the Ferry
This beautiful poster is a great addition to any wall.
Poster size is 585mm x 790mm.
Black & White.
Harold Cazneaux - Waiting for the ferry:
Price = $5.00 By mail = $8.00 (includes postage & handling)
Poster of Sydney Bridge Celebrations, 1932
A copy of the original document [SR Doc 65] held in our collection. This colourful poster will brighten up any room. Poster size is 595mm x 455mm.
Price = $6.00 By mail = $9.00 (includes postage & handling)
Map of Norfolk Island, 1829
A copy of the original map [SR Map 6321] held in our collection.
This stunning map is very detailed and includes locations such as the prisoners' barracks and gardens, Government House, roads and Sandy Flat. Poster size is 500mm x 750mm.
Price = $6.00 By mail = $9.00 (includes postage & handling)
External Publications
The First Fleet
"The authentic list of Australia's founding settlers commemorating Australia's 200th birthday."
This impressive and detailed poster lists all the ships of the First Fleet and its passengers. Alongside each name is listed the passengers' status ie., convict (the sentence and alias is included), master of the vessel, lieutenant, wife of mariner etc and if the passenger died on the voyage.
On the poster is also included a colour image map of the journey plus an image of a painting of the First Fleet at Rio de Janeiro in 1787.
Size is 600mm x 800mm.
Price = $9.00 By mail = $12.00 (includes postage & handling)
9 Generation Family Tree Chart
A black and white poster-sized family tree chart. There is plenty of space to add your family members. Good value.
Size is approximately 500mm x 626mm.
Price = $2.00 By mail = $5.00 (includes postage & handling)
