State Records Office of Western Australia - The State Archives Collection

The State Archives Collection

The State Records Office maintains approximately 15 linear kilometres of archival records, comprising approximately 2 million items and created by over 1,300 individual State and Local Government agencies, many of which are now defunct or have had significant changes in name or function. The State archives collection is the largest collection of documentary heritage in Western Australia and archives date from the foundation of the Swan River Colony in 1829.

The State archives collection includes:

- Records about Aboriginal Western Australians
- The architectural and engineering plans of the Public Works Department
- Records of land surveys, grants and purchases from the 19th and early 20th centuries
- Colonial/Chief Secretary's Office records from 1828 until early 20th century
- Records of Convicts transported to Western Australia, 1850-1868. These have been inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.
- Court Records; including those of the Supreme Court dating from 1832 until mid 20th century.
- Records of the Education Department and various State Schools
- Harbour and shipping records and 19th century passenger lists
- Records about hospitals and Health Department records
- The records of Local Governments in WA
- Mines Department records
- Police Department and Police Station records
- Premier, Cabinet and Parliamentary records
- Prison and Gaol records
- Records about the development of railways in Western Australia