Western Australia Census

Online Resources

 * 1832 A colony detailed : the first census of Western Australia, 1832 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1837 1837 census of Western Australia at FamilySearch, images. Arranged alpphabetically.
 * 1837 Census 1837, extracted from volume 58 of inward correspondence of the Colonial Secretary's Office of Western Australia by staff of the Battye Library at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1837 Census returns Western Australia, 1837 at FamilySearch, images of original document.

Electoral Rolls/Voting Registers

 * Western Australia Electoral Rolls at Findmypast - index ($)
 * 1893-1949 Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893-1949 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1903-1980 Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 including Western Australia at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1903, 1912, 1922 Electoral Roll for the Great Southern Region of Western Australia at cosy.com/au; 12700 records
 * 1939-1949 Find your ancestors in Western Australia Electoral Rolls 1939-1949 at Findmypast - index ($)

Directories

 * The Western Australia Post Office directory (Wise's) at FamilySearch, images.
 * Western Australia Postal Directories at Findmypast - index & images ($)
 * 1800s Index of the Western Australian Almanac and Herald Almanac directories of the 1800s.
 * 1845-1948 Australia, City Directories, 1845-1948 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1893-1949 Post Office Directories - Published by H. Pierssené and then by H. Wise & Co. 1893-1949. The post office directories provide information by locality, individual surname, government service, and by trade or profession.
 * 1895-96 The Western Australia Post Office directory for 1895-96 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1897- The Alphabetical directory of Western Australia for 1897 at FamilySearch, images.fession. Courtesy of State Library of Western Australia.
 * 1899 The Western Australia Post Office directory (Wise's) for 1899 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1900 The Western Australia Post Office directory (Wise's) for 1900 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1905 Western Australia PO Directory 1905 at MyHeritage, index.
 * 1910 Western Australia Post Office Directory 1910 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1910 Western Australia PO Directory 1910 at MyHeritage, index.
 * 1914 Western Australia PO Directory 1914 at MyHeritage, index.
 * 1924 Western Australia PO Directory 1924 at MyHeritage, index.
 * 1926 Western Australia Post Office Directory 1926 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1935-36 Western Australia PO Directory 1935-36 at MyHeritage, index.
 * 1939 Western Australia PO Directory 1939 at MyHeritage, index.

Immigration Records

 * 1829-1890 Card index to passengers arriving in Western Australia 1829-1890 at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * 1846-1930 Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930, at Ancestry, index and images ($)
 * 1851-1869 Inwards assisted migrants lists from Britain to Western Australia 1851-1869 at FamilySearch, images
 * 1851-1869 Inwards assisted migrants lists from Britain to Western Australia 1851-1869 at FamillySearch, images
 * 1852-1930 Western Australia, Australia, Crew and Passenger Lists, 1852-1930 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1868-1888 Alphabetical listing taken from passenger lists from newspapers of Western Australia at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1873-1924 Alphabetical register of all inward passengers to Albany, 1873-1924 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1873-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1890-1911 Passenger list inwards to the Port of Fremantle, Western Australia, 1890-1911, images.
 * 1897-1963  - Fremantle, Western Australia, Passenger Lists, 1897-1963 at Ancestry; index & images ($)

Land Records

 * Western Australia Farms and Stations at Findmypast - index & images ($)
 * Lands index (Battye Library) at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1821-1938 Western Australia, Australia, Land Leases, Licences, Applications and Selected Images, 1821-1938 Index ($)
 * 1829-1921 Land records of Western Australia, 1829-1921 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1829-1982 Card index to the Department of Lands and Surveys' unregistered letters received from settlers of Western Australia : 1829-1982 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1829-1881 Original land applications, 1829-1881 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1880-1946 Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Rate Books, 1880-1946 at Ancestry, index and images.
 * 1893-1940 Rate books, 1893-1940 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1904-1934 Road rate books, 1904-1934 Irwin at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1904-1945 Northhampton Road rate books, 1904-1945 at FamilySearch, images.

Finding Records
For an excellent analysis of extant records and where they can be found in Australia archives and libraries, see State Library of Victoria: Early Australian census records: Western Australia.

History
The first country-wide census was taken in 1881. National censuses have been regularly taken by the Australian government since 1911. However, to protect individual privacy, all national censuses were destroyed after statistical information was collected. Earlier, in 1882, a fire destroyed the New South Wales census records for 1846, 1851, 1856, 1861, 1871 and 1881, including the household forms from 1861, 1871 and 1881. Therefore, census usage in Australian research is different from census research in other countries.

No records of individuals exist for Western Australia censuses after 1837.

Contents
Typically a census is a count and description of the population. Where available, census records can provide an ancestor’s name, age, occupation and/or employer, whether free or bond, religion, ship and date of arrival, marital status, birthplace, and family member relationships. Census returns can also provide clues that lead to other records. A census may list selected people or the whole population. The percentage of people listed depends on the purpose of the census and on how careful the enumerator was.

Census Substitutes
In Australian research, other records can be used in place of census records. They are referred to as "census substitutes," and they list individuals who lived in specific places. It is rare, however, to find an entire family listed. Usually these records list only the head of household’s name, date and place of residence, occupation, age, value of property, and sometimes ship of arrival.

Records that can be used as census substitutes are:
 * Population Musters
 * Because convicts were transported into Australia, the government found it necessary to survey the population at least annually. These surveys, known as musters, began in 1788. Information contained in the records might include an individual’s residence, status (convict, free, military), sex, name, ship of arrival, trial date, trial place, sentence, and remarks. Some early musters list children, wives, and servants.


 * Electoral rolls—See Western Australia Voting Registers.
 * Directories and almanacs—See Western Australia Directories.
 * Emigration and immigration records—See Western Australia Emigration and Immigration.
 * Depasturing licenses—See Western Australia Land and Property.
 * Rate and valuation books—See Western Australia Taxation.
 * Lists of convicts—See Western Australia Convict Records.