Our James Cook collection showcases the Library’s most famous item - Cook’s HMS Endeavour journal.

Over 13,000 negatives, transparencies, and photographs of cattle stations taken between 1951 and 1961, as well as 52 British Hydrographic Office charts and maps of Australia and the Pacific and personal papers of Johnston.

A large number of photographs and negatives taken by Loke Wan Tho on his ornithological expeditions to the Pacific, Asia and Europe in the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as papers, books and maps.

722 books, pamphlets, leaflets, manuscripts, newspapers and maps, mostly written in Chinese. Mainly Christian works, plus works on the Chinese language, reprints of classical writings and works relating to the Taiping Rebellion of 1850-64.

View historical maps overlaid on a modern map.

614 books and pamphlets, mostly published overseas in the period 1850–1950, including children’s books, novels, atlases, scripture readings, prayer books, hymn books, works on theology, school textbooks and some historical works.

About 5,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals, over 11,000 paintings, drawings and prints, around 800 maps and over 300 manuscripts mostly published 1770–1900. Largely relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific including Antarctica.

Ordnance Survey maps can give you detailed geographic information for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland from the early 1800s onwards.

Learn about the types of maps we hold and how to access them, including maps for countries, oceans and the planets.

The National Library holds a rich and diverse range of library materials on the Pacific region, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Published by the State Lands Departments from the 1860s onwards parish, town and county maps can be used to find land holdings, show boundaries, land use and types of ownership.

Early pastoral or squatting maps can help you locate pastoral properties relating to ownership before Torrens Title, and for identifying large pastoral and squatting runs. Many maps we have can be viewed online, and all can be viewed at the Library.