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Council Archives

Parramatta’s Council Archive holds important records that document the history of our local government. Holdings include: rate books, valuation records, plans, maps, photographs and other records created by Council as part of its business operations. The present Council began in 1861 and most records date from 1862.

Records in the Archive date from 1846 – the earliest surviving minute book from Parramatta’s first municipal government – and include the records of the other preceding councils – Dundas, Granville and Ermington & Rydalmere – that are now all part of Parramatta City Council.

In NSW, access to records more than 30 years old is a public right and you are welcome to arrange to use this nationally significant collection. As these records may be fragile and are all precious (unlike books, archives are not published nor are there multiple copies), access to the records is by appointment only. If you are unable to come to the Archives, we provide a limited research facility for which you may be charged.

Selected images from our picture and map collections are available for purchase.

The Archive has microfilmed a portion of its rate books and these are available for reference in Council’s Local Studies & Family History Library. Where such a copy exists the original will not be available for reference.

Community Archive

The Archival holdings also include a small group of business and personal records from some of Parramatta’s community. Included are minute books, financial records, photographs and other documents.

Contact the Council Archivist:
Tel: 02 8839 3325
Fax: 02 8839 3301
Email: discoverparramatta@parracity.nsw.gov.au

 
Visit the Council Archives at:
346A Church Street, Parramatta
Or write to:
Council Archivist
Parramatta City Council
PO Box 32
Parramatta NSW 2124

Research Resources

State Records NSW www.records.nsw.gov.au
State Records NSW keeps official records of the NSW government since 1788. This site refers visitors on to Archives Investigator (see below). It covers both State and local government.

Archives Investigator
An online search tool for looking up indexes to the archives kept by State Records NSW or by the City of Sydney:
State Records NSW investigator.records.nsw.gov.au
City of Sydney Council - tools.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/investigator

National Archives of Australia (NAA) www.naa.gov.au
Information about records of the Federal government and its agencies, mostly since Federation in 1901 but also houses some 19th century records. The site provides fact sheets about archives administration, recordkeeping guidelines and NAA services.

City of Sydney Archives www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/HistoryAndArchives/Archives
References and indexes to archival records of the City of Sydney Council, dating back to 1842.

National Library of Australia (NLA’s digital collections) TROVE trove.nla.gov.au
Holds the digitised collection of the National Library, including newspapers, letters, photos and archived websites.

Directory of Archives in Australia www.archivists.org.au/resources/directory-of-archives
Provides a list of Archives across Australia and information about their holdings, access requirements, availability, etc.

Dictionary of Sydney www.dictionaryofsydney.org
The online history of Sydney project. Contains photos, recordings, maps, etc. There are references to people, organisations, places, buildings, artefacts and events.

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