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History: Australia

History of Australia including primary sources

Primary sources

Primary sources are first hand evidence or records of the time. They may take the form of diaries, letters, interviews, speeches, photographs, posters, pamphlets and official records. They can give you a first-hand account of what life was like during the event or time you're looking at, and show you what people thought and felt about the world.

You can find primary sources in books, sourcebooks, newspapers and in our digital collections.

Online newspaper collections

Historical archives

From the 1990s onwards, many Australian newspapers are available online in:-

Newspapers on microfilm

The UQ Library holds complete collections of some major Australian newspapers on microfilm including:

Australian literary and historical texts

Federal Government publications

Queensland Government publications