This page is an overview of 19th century Aboriginal population records in our Collection.
Local colonial authorities such as the magistrates and police were required to report to the Government on the distribution of blankets and on the conditions of Aboriginal people in their area. These reports, or returns, resulted in detailed lists of individuals and communities.
This overview provides a brief explanation of State archives that document the NSW government's interaction with Aboriginal people from 1788 until today.
This Guide consists of a listing and description of records held in our collection which relate to Aboriginal people. It 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 in our collection and may be located through our catalogue, finding aids and indexes.
An administrative history of contact between the Government of New South Wales and Aboriginal people.
This chronology gives an overview of significant events which have happened in Australia from 1788 to 1998, concentrating on the relations between Aboriginal people and the post-1788 immigrants. Some other events are shown in order to give an historical context. Some of these events generated many records whereas other records are the result of legislative changes. Please note that all institutions and legislation are from New South Wales, unless otherwise noted.
Did you, or someone in your family, grow up in an orphanage, children’s home or foster care in NSW? Our Care Leavers guide gets you started accessing care leaver records. This page provides information to assist Care Leavers to locate and access records of their time in out of home care in New South Wales, and adoptees to locate New South Wales adoption records.
One of our ongoing projects is the digitisation of these archives which relate to Aboriginal people, 1832-1835 and 1837-1844. The 19th century ‘blanket returns’ are lists of Aboriginal people who received blankets from the Colonial authorities. The records are broadly arranged by locality and include both Indigenous and European names for each person as well as their age. Returns are also included - these provide detailed information about individuals and their movements.