Genealogy
Society
The
Ballarat & District Genealogical Society's (B.D.G.S.)
Collection of microfiche, books etc. are stored in the "Australiana Reference Room" -
Ballarat Central Library, 178 Doveton St. Nth, Ballarat. Resources
are available for public access during library hours. Monday
- Friday 9.30-5.00 and Sunday 1.15-4.00.
The Ballarat Courier and Star (newspapers) are on microfilm. There is access
to Ballarat Directories, some electoral rolls (1900s), BDM's for all states
of Australia, probate index, some school records and church records, Ballarat & surrounding
district cemeteries, headstones and/or register transcriptions, Ballarat Hospital
Admission registers, and other items of interest.
www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au or
the researcher :
Cathie
Shelton
e-mail the Secretary:
Gwenda Bayley P.O.
Box 1809 Ballarat. 3354
Ballarat Central Highland Library
178 Doveton St. Nth,
BALLARAT. VIC 3350
Phone 03 5331 1211
Resources are available for public access during library hours. Monday - Friday
9.30am-5.pm and Sunday 1.15pm-4.00pm.
The Australiana Research Room is located within the Ballarat City Library. The
collection features a large holding of Australiana, monographs, genealogical
resources, local newspapers, historic photographs as well as an art history collection
and the J. Farringdon-Davis military history collection. A further useful resource
is the street directories for the Ballarat area from 1857-1907. It must be noted
that not all years are available. Microfiche/film copies are available and CD-ROM
records may be downloaded to a disc purchased from the library.
CD-ROM's: Victoria: Pioneers Index 1837-1888, Federation Index 1889-1901, Edwardian
Index 1902-1913, Great War Index 1914-1920, Death Index 1921-1985, Inquest Index
1840-1985,
Immigration to Victoria 1852-1879 (Index to Inward Passenger Lists, British & Foreign
Ports. Does not include Assisted Passengers from Britain or those arriving from
New Zealand), Index from Baptismal, Marriage, Burial/Death records from Ballarat & surrounding
areas,
Tasmania: Tasmanian Convicts (Complete list from the original records)
The library holds all editions of the Ballarat Courier newspaper from its commencement
in 1867. Most issues are available in microfilm format, though some are still
maintained in bound volumes. Further newspapers held include editions of the
Argus, Buninyong Telegraph, Ballarat Star, Ballarat Times and the Creswick/Clunes
Advertiser. Numerous other local papers are also available.
A large collection of historic photographs is also held comprising images of
Ballarat steet scapes, buildings and industry dating back to the mid 1800s.
Public Records Office
Cnr Mair& Doveton Sts.
BALLARAT VIC 3350
Phone 03 5333 6611
The Ballarat Public Record Office (PRO) is open Monday and Tuesday 9.30 - 4.30.
It holds shipping records, local rate books, indexes to Inquests, Probate/Wills,
Will Transcripts (wills probated before early 1920s) Vic. BD.'S, court records,
maps and many other records. Records include those of the courts, local government,
district land and police offices, mining registrars and wardens.
Ballarat Mechanics' Institute
E-mail: bmi@giant.net.au
117 Sturt St.
BALLARAT VIC 3350
Phone 03 53 313042
There are many books, which have been collected over the years that have become
important references. These include books on the early history of Ballarat and
district mining records. Some of these volumes are very valuable, as well as
being fragile, and so there may be limited access to the reference collection.
Included are: Dickers mining record, State government proceedings. Newspapers:
Ballarat Star, Ballarat Courier, Melbourne Argus, The Australasian.
The Mechanics' Institute is open weekdays from 9.30 am to 4.30pm and Saturday
mornings 9 am - 12 noon.Ballarat
History Central
www.ballarathistory.org.au
The Ballarat history Central web site has been specifically set up as an alternative
local history resource. It has been designed to appeal to anyone interested
in history in general, and local history in particular.
Researching Ballarat Place Names
The Historical Society receives a number of inquiries each
year about the origin of place names around the region. It
is not always easy finding out why a town, suburb or street
was named in a particular way. The society is fortunate to
have a couple of handwritten indexes to the origin of street
names in Ballarat, one being compiled by Nathan
Spielvogel.
These indexes are housed in the Gold
Museum (See contact
information elsewhere on this website). Since the passing
of the Geographic Place Names Act 1998, the process of naming
locations has been more locally based with the Ballarat City
Council. The responsible officer can be contacted at the
City Council on (03) 5320 5500.
Official registers of geographic place names are maintained
by various State and Federal Government authorities. A national
project to bring these databases together is being conducted
by Macquarie University under the title of the Australian
National Placenames Survey (ANPS). Volunteers working for
the survey have been investigating the naming of numerous
places around Ballarat with a view to contributing the information
to a national database. The information initially forms part
of the Victorian Register of Geographic Names
More information about the ANPS can be found at their website
at www.anps.mq.edu.au You
can contact them through Macquarie University in Sydney .
(Telephone: (02)98508240 or write to Susan Poetsch, ANPS,
Div. of Humanities, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Sydney.
2109. Email contact details are given on the website)
There are some other interesting websites that can be consulted
when researching place names. Sites recommended in the ANPS
Newsletter include the Geoscience National
Gazetteer which
can be accessed at www.ga.gov.au/map/names/
Another site, The Gazetteer of Australia can be found at: www.auslig.gov.au/mapping/names/natgaz.htm This
has 274.000
geographic names. The ANPS website includes many other links to relevant websites
for Australia and New Zealand . The main Victorian Place names site is http://www.vicnames.vic.gov.au .
This site outlines the naming procedures and gives you access to the existing
database of registered names.
Research Sites in General.
www.sag.org.au (Over
70 years of family history manuscripts registered here)
www.familysearch.org (Church
of the Latter day Saints, International data base)
www.pictureaustralia.org
Friends
of the Anson Museum
Friends of the Anson is a volunteer group trying to preserve and restore an
Avro Anson. The Museum is open most weekends - Saturday/Sunday 1- 5 pm. or
by appointment. Photographs and documents tell the story of the History of
the Ballarat Airport.
The Avro Anson enjoyed one of the longest production runs of any British aircraft,
this status being maintained from 1934 until 1952 when the last Anson mark
T.21 completed its acceptance trials.
If you would like to be involved in the restoration of the Avro Anson or if
you are interested in learning the history of the airport and would like to
visit the Museum, phone Alan Penhall on: (03) 5332 4651
