National Archives of Australia

Looking for a free activity with your little ones in Canberra?

Dive into the world of storytelling, imagination, and discovery as we bring tales to life through interactive storytelling sessions every Wednesday.

📍 National Archives of Australia, Canberra ACT
🗓️ Every Wednesday (except during school holidays)
🕑 10 – 10:30 am AEST
🎟️ Free
🔗 https://bit.ly/4dRPiWi

NAA: A1200, L11511

Dive into your family's past during !

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced family researcher, we have plenty of resources to help you.

Get started with our step-by-step guide: https://bit.ly/3A5H1ik

NAA: A12111, 2/1986/45A/6

Can you hack it? 🌐🕵️‍♀️

Join the RIMPA Global Hackathon 2024 in Adelaide on September 3-4 and compete for a $10,000 prize!

As a team you’ll tackle critical questions like:

• How do we determine the worth of information for organisations?
• How should we measure the value of information assets?
• Can information have both qualitative and quantitative value?

The hackathon offers both in-person and virtual participation options.

Don’t miss this chance to help revolutionise how we perceive and value information in the digital age.

Find out more and register your team here before 23 August: https://bit.ly/3LAtCRH

Kangaroo silhouettes during sunset 🌄🦘

This image is one of thousands in a series that captures Aussie life.

Photograph taken by J Fitzpatrick in 1965.

Explore the A1200 series on RecordSearch now: https://bit.ly/3zOLymA

NAA: A1200, L51684

National Archives holds a vast collection of records relating to individual First Nations peoples. This includes information about people, social welfare activities, children’s institutions, missions, reserves, and settlements.

We created the Bringing Them Home name index to help First Nations peoples use these files to find information about themselves, their family, their Country and their history.

Celebrate by learning about how to search the collection for records relating to First Nations peoples and the Bringing Them Home name index: https://bit.ly/4f5Sn5M

Image: A letter and map from 19 April 1967 addressed to Governor-General Casey from the leaders of the Gurindji people regarding regaining tenure of tribal lands in the Wave Hill-Limbunya area of the Northern Territory

NAA: A8739, A8/12/75/12

Feast your eyes on this fruity flashback from Brisbane, 1962 🥭🍌🍍🍊

Discover more vibrant images in the collection: https://bit.ly/3VFRRTp

NAA: A1500, K9027

Melbourne’s bustling Bourke Street, 1961. 🛍️🏦

📸 Cliff Bottomley

Explore more scenic images in the collection. Start your search now: https://bit.ly/3VFRRTp

NAA: A1200, L38980

Did you know that Melbourne triumphed over Buenos Aires to host the 1956 by just one vote? 🏆

The XVI Olympiad 1956 invitation was presented to the International Olympic Committee meeting in 1949 as a bid for Melbourne to host the 1956 games.

It aimed to introduce Australia and Melbourne as suitable candidates to host the world on an international stage 🌏🌏

This record is on display at our permanent exhibition ‘Connections / Mura gadi’ in Canberra.

You can also view the full digital copy here: https://bit.ly/3LKgp97

NAA: MP1243/1, 16

Celebrate with us! 🔭🧪

Explore the collection and uncover the rich history of scientific progress in Australia. From ground-breaking pioneers and innovators to everyday students and researchers - keep the passion of science alive 🧬

Start your search now: https://bit.ly/3VFRRTp

Image: Taty Djajakusumah was the only woman studying agricultural science in her class at The University of Adelaide in 1956.

NAA: A1501, A355/3

Planned outage! ⚠️

Due to system maintenance, access to our website and online platforms including will be unavailable on Saturday 10 August from 7 am to 5 pm (AEST).

We apologise for the inconvenience.

Photo finish 🏃‍♀️🥈

Australian sprinter Raelene Boyle crossing the line for a silver medal in the 200m final at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Boyle missed the gold medal by 0.05 seconds to Germany’s Renate Stecher ⏱️

Curious about more Olympic history? Find more Olympic records in the collection: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: A6180, 28/11/73/8

Chilling out with the pack 🐾❄️

Photograph taken by John Tanner in Perisher Valley, New South Wales, 1965.

Uncover more icy gems in the collection. Start here: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: A1200, L51979

Did you know that more than 30,000 people in Queensland have Greek ancestry?

Join us during Family History Month to explore a selection of records that reveal the Greek migrant experience in the years following the Second World War.

📍 National Archives of Australia, Brisbane QLD
🕙 Multiple dates
🎟️ Free
🔗 https://bit.ly/46atxxv

NAA: J2364, 9196/2

Surfs up! 🏄‍♀️

Beachgoers at Duranbah Beach, New South Wales in 1971.

Discover more images of summers past in our online exhibition: https://bit.ly/42k7dzw

NAA: A1500, K26813

We’re lighting up your feed with this snap of Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse, Tasmania 💡

Ready to discover other hidden gems? Explore more in our online exhibition ‘Beacons by the sea’: https://bit.ly/3zTDGTj

NAA: A6135, K1/7/77/6

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised this post contains an image of people who may be deceased.

Today we proudly celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. 🎉

This year’s theme, ‘Strong in Culture, Stronger Together’ aims to empower First Nations children to be proud of their culture, stories, kin and community.

Understanding and embracing their cultural roots help children grow with confidence, pride and resilience ❤️💛🖤 💚💙

NAA: A1500, K24460

Image: Yipirinya School in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), 1989. The school’s focus has been on keeping Aboriginal language and culture alive since 1978.

Join us for a joint event with State Library of Queensland for !

At this event we’ll take you through the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the opportunities, challenges, and new beginnings of migrating to Australia.

📍 State Library of Queensland, Brisbane QLD
🕙 16 August
🎟️ Free
🔗 https://bit.ly/4c2AzFX

Image: Migrants arriving in Melbourne from the HMAS Kanimbla aboard the train to Bonegilla Migrant Camp, 1947.

NAA: A12111, 1/1947/3/5

As we cheer on the athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics, let’s take a trip down memory lane!

Our Aussie athletes rocked this vintage uniform with pride at the 1976 Montreal Olympics 💛🎽💚

Explore more Olympic memories in the collection: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: A8746, KN21/4/76/2

A celebratory kiss! 🥰✈️

Sir Joseph Cook and Dame Mary Cook share a tender moment after the successful inaugural flight of the first Australian seaplane, the ‘Seagull’ in 1926.

Find more records from the launch of the ‘Seagull’ in the collection in the M3613 series on RecordSearch. Start here: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: M3613, 1

Planned outage! ⚠️

Due to system maintenance, access to our website and online platforms including will be unavailable on Saturday 3 August from 8 am to 5 pm (AEST).

We apologise for the inconvenience.

Family History Month kicks off today!

It's the perfect time to explore the collection to uncover details about your relatives through their interactions with the Australian Government.

The national archival collection may hold a record about a family member if they have:
• migrated to Australia
• become an Australian citizen
• applied for a relative to visit from overseas
• severed in the Australian Defence Force
• enrolled to vote
• registered a patent or trademark
• worked for the government.

Exploring these records can provide a deeper understanding of your family's history and heritage.

Unsure where to begin your search? Start here: https://bit.ly/2W88IjX

Image: young Midland family leave the Australian Migration Office at Birmingham after their interview, 1962.

NAA: A12111, 1/1962/14/31

Go nuts for this peanut farm near Katherine in Australia’s Northern Territory, 1957. 🥜

Discover more images of rural Australia in the collection: https://bit.ly/3VFRRTp

NAA: A1200, L58463 Visit Katherine

All aboard the Koala Express 🐨🐕

A koala hitches a ride on an Alsatian dog at the Lone Pine Sanctuary near Brisbane, Queensland in 1953.

Find more images of fuzzy friends in the collection. Start your search here: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: A1200, L15251

Trailblazing playwright Ray Lawler has passed at 103 leaving behind a rich legacy in Australian theatre 🎭. His ground-breaking play ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’ remains a classic. 🎼

Set in post-Second World War Melbourne, ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll' was unapologetically Australian and thrust Australian theatre into the spotlight on a global stage.

Lawler’s decades-long career saw him awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1980 and the Order of Australia (OA) in 2023.

Image: Raymond Evenor Lawler, 1960.

NAA: A1200, L36775

Today is the UNESCO .

Let’s celebrate the bonds that cross cultures and borders 💞🌎

Image: Khanitha Rattaseri on exchange from Thailand showing her two Australian school friends a book about her home country.

NAA: A1501, A4917/1

The beginnings of the 'bush capital' 🌿🏛️

Marion Mahony Griffin's role in designing Canberra is significant, yet often overlooked in favour of her colleagues, Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Burley Griffin.

While the extent of their collaboration remains unknown, Marion's input is undeniable.
Her UNESCO-recognised drawings of Canberra are a testament to her lasting impact on Australia’s capital city.

This view from Mount Ainslie is one example of the stunning watercolour paintings she created for the Federal Capital Design Competition.

Learn more about the design of Canberra in the online exhibition ‘DESIGN 29’ here:
https://bit.ly/3Ws3T4g

NAA: A710, 49

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised this post contains an image of a person who is deceased.

in 1902 Aboriginal Artist Albert Namatjira was born near Alice Springs.

A member of the Western Arrernte people, Namatjira was a pioneer of contemporary Indigenous Australian art and was one of Australia’s most notable artists 🖼️

Learn more about the life of Albert Namatjira through records held in the national archival collection: https://bit.ly/3O7bEFt

NAA: A1200, L17549

As the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off in Paris, let’s throwback to when Australia hosted the world 🏅

The 1956 Olympics in Melbourne saw Australia win the women's 4 x 100 metres relay and set a new world and Olympic record with a time of 44.5 seconds 🏃‍♀️

📸 From left: Fleur Mellor, Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert and Shirley Strickland

Find more Olympic moments in the collection. On your marks, get set, go: https://bit.ly/3IdvZbm

NAA: A1200, L45369