Australia Births, Marriages and Deaths

Indexes to Australian births, marriages and deaths may be found at at local, state, national and genealogical society libraries on microfiche and CD. Some Registrars' websites include free or fee-based index search facilities. Certificates may be ordered from the Registrar of the appropriate state or territory. Online ordering and delivery of certificates is available on some Registrars' web sites. Death information may also be obtained from inquests, wills, newspaper and other indexes.

State Registrars' Details and Costs of Certificates:


 * http://www.coraweb.com.au/bdmaut.htm

The table in the site lists the names and addresses of the Registrars of Birth, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory of Australia and indicates the current cost of certificates. Please check the identification requirements before ordering certificates. Costs current as of 1 May 2010.

Indexes or transcripts of the original birth, marriage or death records may be online. Check there before ordering a certificate.

Ryerson Index

 * http://www.ryersonindex.org
 * http://www.rootsweb.com/~nswsdps/dpsindex.htm (same website, alternate address)

"The Ryerson Index is an index to death notices appearing in current Australian newspapers. It also includes some funeral notices, probate notices and obituaries.

"Because the Index was originally created by the Sydney Dead Persons Society, it concentrates on notices from NSW papers. However, the representation from papers from other states continues to grow, with additional papers being regularly added, so that the Index can now truly be considered an Australian index....

"The index itself cannot by definition be considered a primary source of data, but is purely a research aid to direct the researcher to the original source of a notice."

Colonial Tasmanian Family Links Database
The Colonial Tasmanian Family Links database is designed to provide an initial online genealogical research resource. It links individuals with other members of their families living in Tasmania in the 19th Century. The information about individuals is based primarily on records of births, deaths, and marriages and similar events, held in the Archives Office and the linkages have been developed by family historians associated with the former National Heritage Foundation in the late 1990s. The database contains approximately five hundred thousand entries.

New South Wales
Online indexes are available for births (1788-1907), deaths (1788-1977), and marriages (1788-1957) at the New South Wales Government site at www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

Victoria
Online indexes are available for births (1853-1907), deaths (1853-1985), and marriages (1853-1942) as well as for  church baptisms, marriages and burials (1836-1853) at the Victoria Government site at

An image (uncertified record) can be purchased and received over the internet, or a certified record can be purchased online and then mailed to you.