Oral history

Black and white photo of three men on a tractor, one driving and the other two sitting at the back

Jeff Carter, Planting out, Ovens Valley, 1955, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148667470

Photographs by Jeff Carter of Australian life dating from the 1950s onwards, plus oral history recordings with about 40 individuals living in rural towns or properties.

Collection guide

Cameron Collection

Papers related to Clyde Cameron's long political career, and 12 oral history recordings conducted by Cameron with other political figures.

Collection guide

Two men hug and another man shakes one of their hands

Juno Gemes, Countrymen, elders from Arakun and Mornington Island greeting each other before a ceremony, Mornington Island, Queensland, 1978, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147616168

Bringing Them Home oral history project

Between 1998 and 2002, people from all over Australia told us their stories as part of the Bringing Them Home oral history project.

First Australians

Information article

Woman, Jacinta Mackay, sitting in front of a window looking into the Main Reading Room with a large globe on the other side

2024 National Library of Australia Scholar Jacinta Mackay

Bridging the gap between history and culturally safe nursing

Learn about Jacinta Mackay's NLA Scholarship research using the Bringing Them Home oral history recordings.

Blog

Bowden Collection

Oral history recordings by Ros Bowden for the Women of the land and Comic artists and illustrators projects.

Collection guide

Blackman Collection

Oral history recordings by Barbara Blackman, mostly of Australian painters, sculptors, potters and others concerned with the visual arts.

Collection guide

Bennetts Collection

Oral history interviews recorded by Neil Bennetts with leading Australian figures in a wide range of sports.

Collection guide

A man wearing a face mask leaning against a tree that is decorated with a face mask and eyes outside the NGV in Melbourne

Leigh Henningham, A tree decorated in face mask outside the National Gallery of Victoria, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melbourne, Victoria, 26 April 2020, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2726498492

Australian responses to COVID-19

Listen to interviews with Australian's sharing their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blog

Hand coloured manuscript map of Australia, on base map titled 'A community survey of Australia', showing reach of Flying Doctor Service in red and reach of wireless communication in blue. Shows locations as Wyndham, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie, Alice Springs, Cloncurry and Charleville and Broken Hill.

John Flynn, Flying Doctor Service of Australia, 1951, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-481242509

Australian Inland Mission

The Australian Inland Mission established 15 nursing homes, bush hospitals and services in remote Australian locations.

Collection guide

Map of Antarctica showing territories and dependencies.

Australia. Department of the Interior. Property and Survey Branch. & E. P. Bayliss, J. S. & Cumpston, Antarctica, 1939, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-236895938

Australian explorations in the Antarctic

Diaries, papers, photographs, maps and other material related to Australia's involvement in the Antarctic

Collection guide

A black and white photo of Louise Sauvage leading another wheelchair racer on a track.

Serena Ovens, Portrait of Louise Sauvage, 1996 paralympian, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136368441

Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project

This oral history project underpins a broader Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies project to capture and preserve the history of Paralympic sport.

Information article

Pile of colourful books of different sizes by authors Kylie Tennant, Doris Pilkington, Christina Stead, Colin Thiele, Norman Lindsay and Gabrielle Wang

Australian authors in the oral history collection

Hear from Colin Thiele, Kylie Tennant, Gabrielle Wang, Doris Pilkington, Norman Lindsay and Christina Stead as they share their thoughts, memories and creative journeys.

Blog

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