Our holdings in brief

The Archives Office holds many thousands of linear metres of records, the vast majority of which are those of State and local government agencies.

While there are few records of the first 20 years of settlement in Tasmania, from the mid-1820s the records reflect the changes and growth of government administration.

For long established government activities, such as land alienation, the records show the development of policies and their administration from early days of settlement to the present day. For those fields in which government has acquired an interest fairly recently, the records reveal reasons for this.

Records of all government departments are held and those of many statutory authorities, committees and boards of enquiry. Records are held from all local councils and many of their predecessors in local government such as town boards and road trusts.

While many series of records are complete, in a number of cases official and unofficial destruction prior to the establishment of the Archives Office, together with natural hazards such as fire and water, have taken their toll.

Records are also held on a number of Tasmanian companies, churches, community organisations and associations and individuals. These include minutes correspondence, share registers, baptism, marriage and burial registers, diaries, ships' logbooks and financial records.

The Archives Office has a collection of photographs of events, places and people of Tasmania interest ranging from the beginnings of photography in the 1850s to the present day. Substantial quantities of film and video material are also held.

The Archives Office also holds virtually complete sets of all newspapers published in Tasmania.