About the Newspaper collection

Our Newspaper collection spans Australian and overseas publications, preserving the news as it was reported at the time. The collection includes capital city dailies, regional and country town newspapers, and publications representing ethnic groups, political organisations, and special interests.

We collaborate with state and territory libraries to collect and preserve Australian newspapers, ensuring broad access to these important historical records. Many digitised Australian newspapers, including the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser—the first newspaper published in Australia—are freely available through Trove.

We also hold Australia’s largest collection of overseas newspapers, with particular strengths in publications from Asia and the Pacific region. Registered users can access digital archives of both Australian and international newspapers through major full-text databases such as the Times Digital Archive.

Explore Australian newspapers    Explore overseas newspapers

In the collection

• Digitised Australian newspapers – Free access to historic newspapers through Trove.
• Australian newspapers – Capital city dailies, regional and country newspapers, and special interest publications. Review our Australian newspapers research guide.
• Overseas newspapers – The largest collection in Australia, with a focus on Asia and the Pacific. Review our Overseas newspapers research guide.
• Online newspaper archives – Full-text databases available to registered users.

Accessing newspapers

• Historic newspapers – Early UK and US newspapers (16th–19th century) available through eResources.
• Early Australian newspapers (1803–1954) – many freely accessible on Trove.
• Newspapers from 1955–1990 – Access onsite via print copies or microform.
• Current newspapers (1990–present) – Available through eResources, including databases like NewsBank and PressReader.

Our comprehensive research guides provide further support for finding and using newspapers in the collection. Whether searching for historical headlines or contemporary coverage, the collection is a rich resource for researchers and the public alike.