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Local history

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Text reading 'Greetings from Barcaldine' with illustrations from around the town

Barcaldine, Qld, c. 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140673077

Australian postcards from the early twentieth century

Take a look at some of the postcards we hold from the first half of the twentieth century and the messages they were sent with.

Blog
Black and white image of factories and other industrial buildings in a valley

William A. Bayley, The industrial valley of Lithgow looking west, Lithgow, New South Wales, 1939, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152895444

Bayley Collection

Books, booklets, pamphlets, leaflets and hundreds of photographs and postcards mainly relating to New South Wales country towns.

Collection guide
On the left, the cover of 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women' which features a faceless statue of a woman standing on a piles of books on a pink and blue background. On the right is a photo of author Sita Sargeant smiling.
Book Launch: She Shapes History with Sita Sargeant

Sita Sargeant launched her debut book, 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women'.

Event
Video
Collection guide
Bowden Collection

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

Collection guide
Landscape watercolour showing trees, hilly, grass covered terrain, few small buildings and a mountain in the distance

H. M. Rolland, Canberra, view from Camp Hill looking towards St. John' s Church, Mt. Ainslie in the distance, 1924, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135217175

Canberra family history

Discover early family histories of the Canberra region while learning about how you too can explore your town and put your family history puzzle back together.

Learning activity for adults
Video
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

Carter Collection

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
1904 camera

Harold Cazneaux's first camera, 1904, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141166704

Harold Cazneaux (1878–1953) was perhaps Australia's best-known photographer of the early twentieth century. He purchased this camera in 1904, shortly after moving from Adelaide to Sydney, and made photographs of Sydney's streets and waterways.

In 1909 he became the first Australian photographer to exhibit his works in a solo show.

Cazneaux was a master of the pictorialist style of photography, using soft focus to capture scenes that were - and remain - familiar to many Australians in a new light. He was able to find a timeless, extraordinary beauty in the everyday.

Cazneaux collection

A large collection of glass negatives, papers and photographs dating mostly from 1904 to 1940 depicting many aspects of Australian life and architecture.

Collection guide
Black and yellow uniform made up of a long-sleeve button up jacket on a mannequin

Convict uniform and two caps [realia], 1830, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2398685

Convicts, conflict and confrontation

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: HASS for Year 5 students. It adopts an inquiry learning approach that develops students’ skills as historians.

Digital Classroom
Busy street lined with building and parked cars

Frank Hurley, [Ballarat, Sturt Street] [Ballarat, Victoria], 1910, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160199422

Discovering the history of your hometown

Learn some useful tips and suggestions to get you started researching your town or local area with the National Library's collection.

Learning activity for adults
Video
Collection guide
Drovers Oral History Collection

122 interviews, mostly with retired drovers, recorded by Bruce Simpson and Bill Gammage between 2000 and 2006. 

Collection guide
Man steering a large male cow that is pulling a wagon with his wife and children inside

Mallee farmer and family with his bullock wagon, Victoria, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-153091696

Finding and dating photographs

Find family photos and piece together dates and places from the many clues they contain. 

Learning activity for adults
Video
Man resting a hand on a tree and looking at a message carved into the tree trunk

Michael Terry examining Lasseter's message carved into a tree trunk, Lake Christopher region, Western Australia, 1932, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-149282377

Finding local history

Start exploring the Library's diverse collections to search through time and place to build family stories and local narratives.

Learning activity for adults
Video

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