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History, Australian

Getting Started

If you are not sure what your topic is about, try one or more of the following:

Encyclopaedias: 

Historical Dictionary of Australia (online)

Oxford Companion to Australian History (online)

Australian Dictionary of Biography (online)

Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia (online)

Historical Dictionary of Australian Aborigines (online)

Handbooks: 

Books on Australian history will be found on the Library shelves at various call numbers, but especially in the area from DU80 to DU398.

Remember that two-thirds of new research in history is published in books. Use the Library Catalogue keyword search to find books on your topic. Some books are available online (e-books).

Journal Articles

For recent information, journal articles are often the best sources. Looking through individual journals in the hope of finding relevant material is time-consuming. It is better to use the databases to find articles on your topic.

Journal Articles: 

APA FT (Australian Public Affairs Full Text)
This database lists journal articles, and articles in edited books, on the humanities and social sciences in Australia. Some of the references are available on the database in full text.

Mura
This database lists articles, books and other materials on all aspects of Australian indigenous studies.

Maps

Maps: 

Trove Maps
Online catalogue of maps held in Australian libraries. Some are available online.

Primary Materials

Primary Materials: 

Newspapers

Trove Australia Digitised Newspapers
This site gives access to many Australian newspapers, up to 1954.

The UQ Library holds complete collections of some major Australian newspapers on microfilm in the Fryer Library, including:

Courier Mail

The Age

Sydney Morning Herald

Canberra Times

From the 1990s onwards, many Australian newspapers are available online in the Factiva and ANZ Reference Centre databases.

Government Publications: Federal

Parliamentary debates (Hansard) (online from 1901 onwards)

Parliamentary papers (print from 1901 onwards)

Government Publications: Queensland

Parliamentary debates (Hansard) (print from 1864 and microfilm from 1864 to 1901 -- online for selected years)

Parliamentary papers (print and microfilm from 1860 to 1901 -- print from 1902 onwards and microfilm from 1902 to 1933 -- online from 1993 onwards)

Early Books

Sydney Electronic Text and Image Service (SETIS)
This site has digitized versions of some important historical sources.


Archival Resources

Trove: Diaries, Letters, Archives
Use the checkboxes to limit your search to Australian content and content Available online.

Specialised Resources

Specialised Resources: 

Text Queensland
A full-text collection of source materials, books and theses relating to Queensland history.

Fryer Library
Holds the UQ Library's special collections, including much printed and manuscript material relating to Australian history.

John Oxley Library
Part of the State Library of Queensland at Southbank, it has the largest collection of material relating to Queensland history.

Queensland State Archives
Located at Runcorn, holds historical records of the Queensland government.

Statistics

Statistics: 

Australian Bureau of Statistics
Some publications, including the Official Yearbook, have been digitised from the first issue onwards.

Historical Census and Colonial Data Archive

International Historical Statistics: Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2005

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