We also hold national series of aerial photography of Papua New Guinea and East Timor, and a large collection covering Antarctica. To access the PNG, East Timor or Antarctic collections, contact us via Ask a Librarian.

How to find aerial photographs

Most catalogue records for aerial photographs have a flight diagram attached. Flight diagrams are produced alongside aerial photography, and provide information about the flight path of the pilot and the points at which photographs were taken.

Flight diagrams show the height and the approximate area covered by each photograph divided into “runs”. A run is the flight path of the plane as it photographed the area below.

Use the flight diagram (where applicable) to ascertain whether a particular series of photographs covers your area of interest.

Major towns and airfields

Find and request aerial photography of a major town or airfield.

Search the Library’s catalogue: enter the place name and “aerial” into the search bar and select “Map” from the drop down menu for format.

• Example: search results for aerial photographs of Cairns.

Use flight diagrams to identify photographs covering your area of interest.

Smaller towns, places and sites

You will need to identify the topographic sheet number for your area of interest for smaller towns, more obscure places, and study sites defined by geographic features or coordinates.

To find Australian imagery, follow these steps. For imagery of Papua New Guinea or other countries, Ask a Librarian.

Step 1: find the places grid reference

• Use Geoscience Australia’s index for Aerial Photography – Flight Line Diagrams.
• Hover over the map of Australia to find the grid reference and name for your place. Example: Goulburn is SI5512.

Step 2: search by call number

• Use the catalogues Advanced Search to search by call number.
• For example: enter the 1:250,000 sheet call number into the "Call Number" field.

Step 3: find the group of photographs

• Your search results will show a list of photography covered by that grid reference.

Get copies of aerial photographs

You will need to identify the topographic sheet number for your area of interest for smaller towns, more obscure places, and study sites defined by geographic features or coordinates.

Request to view in person

Once you have identified a group of photographs in the catalogue, you can request to view the prints in the Special Collections Reading Room. To do this, select "Request" and then "Select" on your preferred option in the catalogue record.

Make sure you specify in the notes field exactly which photographs you would like to view, for example “Runs 3-5” or “photographs 129-136”.

If there is no flight diagram or you are unsure which photographs to request, contact Ask a Librarian.

Buy digital copies

You can purchase copies of aerial photographs as high resolution (.TIFF) digital images. 

Once you have identified which photographs you would like to copy, you can order them.

It is important to specify exactly which images you want to copy. Copies of aerial photographs are charged in batches of up to 10.

1. Select “Order a Copy” in the catalogue record, this will take you through to the Copies Direct order form.
2. Select “Part(s) of item”, and specify the run and image numbers in the Sheet/Plate number field.
3. Complete the order form as usual.

Find out more about how to buy digital copies.

Buy copies now

Where else to look

We may not hold aerial photography for your area and/or time period of interest.

If this is the case, you may be able to access aerial photography from more localised sources, including:

• your state library
• the government department responsible for lands in your state (for example, New South Wales - Spatial Services)
• your local council
• a commercial enterprise that holds aerial photography dating from 1930, like United Photo & Graphics.

Get help with your research

Our specialist staff can help you with your research, to locate resources and to use our microform and scanning equipment, but they cannot undertake extensive or ongoing genealogical, historical or other research on your behalf.

Find out more in our Information and Research Policy.

Ask a Librarian