We are redesigning our catalogue. To take a sneak peek click on the slider to the right, search and order your records and send us some feedback. You can also order records as normal via this site below. You may need to perform a search again if switching between old and Beta versions of the site.
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What do I need to know?
- The name of the local government/council authority
- Minutes of meetings are arranged in chronological order by year, then date of meeting.
- Correspondence was often arranged by year, then date.
Council areas change. Look under the former name for that council if you’re looking for older council records.
How do I search?
- Start typing the name of the council, municipality or town in the menu below and make the selection you want.
- The records were catalogued as council minutes, minute books or general correspondence. Sometimes there can be a series titled Outward Letter Books, which contains outward correspondence.
- Next, type in the year you want.
- Records were often catalogued within a year range, for e.g. 1875-1877 so try years above or below the date you're looking for.
About these records
Council minutes and correspondence document the activities of local authorities. They reflect the wide range of matters councils have responsibility for, and are a rich source of information about the history of local government areas, and their corresponding suburbs.
Please note: Regional archive centres at Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo and Geelong each have collections of council records, you can order them from this website.
Who created these records?
Each local council created records. In the early 1990s there were over 200 local government areas. These were consolidated to just under 80 councils which we have today.
Useful links
What are in these records?
These records can cover a variety of matters for which local authorities are responsible for:
- Road and traffic regulation
- Building construction
- Public Health
- Drainage
- Sanitation
- Town planning
- Property valuation
- Environmental protection and planning
- Social services
Records created by council committees and Roads Boards', including reports and minutes, can also be located within our collection.