English: Australia - Primary Sources

The Australian Army History Unit is responsible for developing policy and programs for the collection, conservation, interpretation and promotion of Australian Army history.

Online Sources: Oral Histories

Australian Biography: Extraordinary Australians Talk About Their Lives
http://www.australianbiography.gov.au/

This site provides biographical information on prominent Australians, such as Smoky Dawson, ‘Nugget’ Coombs and Inga Clendinnen, based on material collected for Film Australia’s Australian Biography TV series. Resources include transcripts of the interviews, TV scripts, footage and study guides.

The War Memories of Robert Ellwood
http://www.jcu.edu.au/aff/history/net_resources/ellwood/001.html

Presented by the Electronic Journal of Australian and New Zealand History, this site contains oral history transcripts of Ellwood’s memories of World War I. This site is being redesigned and so, although the primary material is available, the introduction to the material is not.

Life history interviews with 300 Australians born between 1920 and 1990 will create a digital audio archive of 1500 hours of recordings which will be hosted by the National Library of Australia.

Digitised images of Australian Heritage buildings.

Items from the published print collections which have been digitised and archived to provide online access.

A collection of Australian fiction, poetry, plays and non-fictional works, hosted by the University of Sydney.

A digital library of Australian journals that began publication between 1840-1845.

A gateway for researchers and scholars of labour history, linking together historical detail, archival resources, published material and information about Australian industrial organisations, mainly including trade unions and also employer bodies.

Disseminates treaty information to the public in a freely accessible form through the Internet. It is a fully searchable, hypertext-linked resource that includes treaty texts (Australian Treaty Series), indexes, status lists, and explanatory material.

The service and sacrifice of Australia's veterans over the past 100 years, as seen through the eyes of those who served.

The National Inquiry recommended the recording and preservation, for future access, of the testimonies of Indigenous people affected by removal policies.

Documents relation to Australia's constitutional and political history.

The voyage of HMS Endeavour (1768-1771) was the first devoted exclusively to scientific discovery. This site presents most of the botanical drawings and engravings prepared by artist Sydney Parkinson before his untimely death at sea.

An oral history project to record the lives and experiences of Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.

55 stimulus documents, including photographs, correspondence, speeches, advertisements, films, objects and oral history excerpts from the collections of the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library (JCPML).

The Papers of Sir Joseph Banks, which are held in the Mitchell and Dixson collections at the State Library of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia.

The history of European voyaging and cross-cultural encounters in the Pacific between 1760 and 1800. Provides access to the full text of works such as James Cook’s Endeavour Journal.

Digital collection of 20 years of the Koori Mail – Australia’s fortnightly national Indigenous newspaper.

Includes approximately 15,000 rare historic maps of countries and regions from around the world, the majority representing Australia. This includes some of the earliest cartographic works by explorers of Australiasia and the pacific

Search Australian military history and access information about objects in the collection and biographical information based on records held in the Australian War Memorial’s collection.

Research guides on a broad range of topics.

A selective list of Australia's significant documentary heritage, with links to websites.

Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography. In it you will find concise, informative and fascinating descriptions of the lives of significant and representative persons in Australian history. Entries includes select bibliographies.

Australia's first museum established in 1827 with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous studies research, community programs and exhibitions.

Collect and develop exhibitions centred around five themes – Discovery (including First Australians), Passengers, Commerce, Leisure and Navy. Another was added when the USA funded a gallery of US-Australian maritime links as its gift to the nation for the 1988 Bicentenary celebrations.

Collection of material commemorating and recording the Australian experience of war.

Housed in one of Australia’s most-loved buildings, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House brings the journey of Australian democracy to life—presenting its past, present and possible futures.

Museum of social history, focusing on three broad themes of land, nation and people: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture; Australia's history and society since European settlement in 1788; and, the interaction of people with the environment.

Australia's largest museum with an unique and diverse collection of objects spanning history, science, technology, design, industry, decorative arts, music, transport and space exploration.

A selective list of Australia's significant documentary heritage.

Holder of records of Commonwealth government agencies and significant individuals within the government. Also provides access to information about archives around Australia, including Commonwealth, State, Territory and others.

Archives of industrial organisations, businesses, professional associations, industry bodies and the labour movement.