The 1828 Census was the first census of the colony. The Alphabetical Return is the core record relating to the Census. The Census records have been inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.
The Returns of the Colony ('Blue Books'), NRS 1286 consist of sets of statistical returns of the Colony of New South Wales 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. View the NRS (Item) List »
The 1901 Census was taken on the 31 March 1901. This Guide lists the districts covered in the 1901 Census. The records are available to view on Fiche in the reading room. Please note: householders only are listed in the records. The names of the other people resident in the household are not identified.
The 1891 Census was taken on the 5th April 1891. It was the first census to survive in substance after the 1841 Census. Records of the intervening censuses are believed to have been destroyed in the Garden Palace fire on 22 September 1882. This Guide lists the districts covered in the 1891 Census. The records are arranged by Census district and are available to view on Reels in the reading room. Please note: householders only are listed in the records. The names of the other people resident in the household are not identified.
This Guide lists the more significant State archives relating to population muster and census records, 1788-1901
Muster and census records for Van Diemen's Land from 1811-1822. In 1856 Van Diemen's Land changed its name to Tasmania.
As well as being a penal establishment, one of the primary reasons for establishing the first settlement at Norfolk Island was economic: the Colonial Government had hoped to utilise the flax and pine trees on Norfolk Island