Have you reached a “brick wall” in your genealogy research? Onsite genealogy research in Australia may just be the key to extending your Australian ancestry. We have genealogists in Australia who can help!
Challenges in Australian Genealogy Research
Australia is considered a country of immigrant origins. European migration to Australia began in the late 18th century and is the point when records of genealogical value began to be kept. Record keeping continued as Australia grew – it is now a country of more than 23 million people with origins from around the globe.
Because of Australia’s history of immigration, most people with Australian ancestry face a two-phase research process.
The first phase involves research based in Australian records and has two purposes. The primary purpose is to take your Australian genealogy back as far as possible in Australian records, hopefully to the point of arrival of your immigrant ancestor.
The second purpose is to gather enough information to reveal your immigrant ancestor’s country of origin. Without this critical data, research cannot proceed into the next phase, beyond the shores of Australia.
Records in Australia are generally organized on the local level, so it is necessary to know which state and town your ancestors lived in before attempting further research. While some indexes and records have been digitized, coverage varies widely based on the state, and many records can only be accessed onsite at the archives or must be ordered. Research is conducted mainly in civil registration and church records, though newspapers, convict registers and other records may also be used to extend your ancestry.
Our Team of Professional Genealogists Can Help
If you have Australian ancestry, our professionals can track down the city/town of origin of your ancestors, and identify where the records for that place are currently kept. Our onsite agents can then visit that location to obtain any documents that are needed.
Onsite Archive Access in Australia
Our onsite genealogy researchers have access to the following archives, repositories, and libraries in Australia to help track down the records you need to extend your Australian family history:
- National Archives of Australia
- The State Records Authority of New South Wales
- The Northern Territories Archives Service
- The Queensland Government State Archives
- The State Records of South Australia
- The Archives Office of Tasmania
- The Public Records Office – Victoria's Archives
- The State Records of Western Australia
- Family History Connections – Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies
- Australian Trade Union Archives
- National Library of Australia
- ACT Heritage Library
- The State Library of New South Wales – Family History Service
- The Northern Territory Library
- The State Library of Queensland
- State Library of South Australia
- The State Library of Tasmania
- The State Library of Victoria
- The State Library of Western Australia
- The Australian National University
- Bathurst Library
- Cooma Library
- Great Lakes Library Service
- Richmond-Tweed Regional Library
- Inverell District Family History Group Inc
- Kiama Library New South Wales
- Liverpool City Library
- MWRC Library Service
- Central West Libraries
- Port Macquarie-Hasting Library
- Hawkesbury City Library
- Tablelands Regional Council – Atherton Library
- Barcaldine Library
- Innisfail Lib of the Cassowary Coast Reg Council
- Logan Central Library
- Wyndham City Libraries
- Swan Hill Regional Library
