Victoria Archives and Libraries

Archives collect and preserve original documents from organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books and maps. This article describes the major national and New South Wales archives and libraries that hold genealogical and historical information.

Government Archives
National Archives of Australia National Archives Victoria Office National Archives Victoria Office Victorian Archives Centre 99 Shiel Street North Melbourne Vic 3051 Australia Phone: 03 9348 5703 Website Research Guides Family history -- Public Record Office Victoria Telephone: +61 3 9348 5600 Postal address: PO Box 2100, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 Website
 * Public Record Office Victoria is the archives of the State Government of Victoria which hold records from the late 1830s to today. These include indexes to passengers from inwards assisted from 1839 to 1871 and unassisted from 1852 to 1923, outward passengers from 1852 to 1901, and Wills, Probates and Administrations from 1841 to 1925. There are other records available online including education and teachers, court in quest records, insolvency, prisoners and convicts and much more.

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) has Reading Room locations at North Melbourne and Ballarat, and we support regional archives which hold public records - in particular at Bendigo and Geelong. In most cases it may be faster to visit a local Reading Room and ask our staff for assistance in researching our online catalogue and retrieving physical records to view.

National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia Parkes Place Parkes ACT 2600 Phone: +61 (0)2 6262 1266 Fax: +61 (0)2 6273 5081


 * The National Library is the largest reference library in Australia. Their catalogue is online. Use eResources to locate indexes, full-text ejournals, websites and guides. Frequently asked questions for family historians explain about the records there.

Victoria
The following is a list of archives and libraries that have genealogical material.

The State Library of Victoria is Victoria's premier research library and helps family historians find their ancestors in our dedicated Genealogy Collection and unique Victorian heritage records.