Location

National Archives of Australia, Canberra

The foundation stone for the National Archives in Canberra was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1920 but no building followed this ceremony. The National Library began collecting records after World War I, but it was not until the early 1950s that the Archives had its own buildings in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). After the archives section of the Library had filled the morgue and laundry of the old Acton hospital, the Archives moved into Nissen (or Romney) huts where the High Court and National Gallery are now.

In March 1961 the Archives formally separated from the National Library. The staff and records remained spread across offices in Kingston, Fyshwick and the Romney huts at Parkes. In 1981 the Mitchell repository was opened, the Archives’ first purpose built building in the ACT. The reading room was moved to the new site along with the records and officers from the Romney huts. Another repository building was opened at Greenway in December 1989 to hold long-term temporary records. This repository was threatened by the Canberra bushfires of 2003, but disaster was avoided through the dedicated fire fighting work of Archives officers.

In 1998 the National Archives received what the initial foundation stone promised, an elegant building at the national capital, in the Parliamentary triangle. The Mitchell and Greenway repositories still house records and some staff while the reading room, galleries and public areas of the Archives in Canberra now reside in a heritage building formerly known as East Block.

The collection in Canberra

Because most Australian Government agencies have their central offices in Canberra, the collection is diverse, large and rich. It covers Cabinet, Federation, Prime Ministers and Ministers and other leaders of the nation, and most of the activities with which the government has been involved. Several collections are particularly popular with researchers.

The service records of Australians who have served in wars, notably World Wars I and II, are invaluable for family historians.

The migrant selection documents and naturalisation papers of millions of people who have come to live in this country are also of major interest for historians and genealogists. Recent work has made the records of displaced people – refugees displaced by World War II – more accessible as they can now be searched by name.

The copyright collection dates back to colonial times, a rich source of Australian creative endeavour and social history.

Australian Archives near Lake Burley Griffin

Canberra

Queen Victoria Terrace
PARKES ACT 2600
Tel: (02) 6212 3600
Fax: (02) 6212 3999
PO Box 7425
CANBERRA BUSINESS CENTRE ACT 2610