If you can't make it to our Western Sydney Reading Room other organisations hold copies of some NSW State archives. This page lists where those records are held.
The Archives Resources Kit (ARK)
The Archives Resources Kit contains over 1565 items (962 fiche and 604 reels) of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. Topics covered include births, deaths and marriages; shipping; convicts; professions and occupations; land; naturalization; orphans; records of the Colonial Secretary; and more.
Community Access Points
Our Community Access Points around New South Wales are mainly libraries and historical societies and each one holds the Archives Resources Kit (ARK). You can find Community Access Points at:
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.
Regional Archives Centres
There are seven Regional Archives Centres around the State that hold NSW State archives of regional significance, the Regional Archives Centres also hold the Archives Resources Kit.
State Library of NSW
Holders of parts of the ARK
Local Libraries
In addition to the Community Access Points, a number of local libraries hold parts of the ARK. Check with your library to see which parts of the ARK they hold prior to your visit.
See a list of those libraries here »
Other resources held at the State Library of NSW
Diary of officer doing duty over Jimmy Governor [Darlinghurst Gaol] Reel 1843 (1 reel)
Teachers’ Rolls 1868-1908 Reels 1990-1998 (8 reels)
Public Service Lists, 1871-1960, Reels 3609-3620 (12 reels)
Surveyor General – NRS 13887 Index to sketch books (Reel 2778) and NRS 13886 Surveyors sketch books (Reels 2778-2782) (5 reels)
Divorce Index 1873-1974 Fiche 6130-6410
Dependent Children’s indexes and registers 1883-1923, Fiche 2001-2052, 7003-7342
Colonial Secretary - Letters from individuals re land 1826+, Reels 1081-1200
Colonial Secretary - Indexes and Registers to letters received, 1826 - 1900, Reels 2929-2973, 2563-2619
Colonial Secretary - Letters sent, Reels 624-653 (including 641A), 703, 712, 750, 765-66, 825, 899-901, 1039-1065, 2289-2313, 2649-2650, 2798-2799, 2807-2819, 2855-2866, 2869-2882, 2915-2920 and 2978-3024
Deceased Estates Indexes, Reels 3210-3240, 3297-3308, 3241-3296, 3309-3387
Other resources at the Royal Australian Historical Society
Returns of the Colony, ('Blue Books'), 1822-57, Fiche 438-613
Public Service lists, 1858-70 Fiche 807-819
Surveyors' field books [Surveyor General] Reels 2622-2628
Index to sketch books [Surveyor General] Reel 2778
Surveyors sketch books [Surveyor General] Reels 2778-2782
Copies online
We have partnered with other organisations to help make our collection more widely accessible. Websites such as Find My Past, Family Search and Ancestry all provide access to copies of some of the NSW State Archives Collection. For more information see Websites: finding our archives online.