From 1 July 2025, the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport (CITS) replaces the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC).
There are many other resources that may be able to help with your family history research.
The State Library of Western Australia holds key resources such as books, newspapers, photographs, maps, and oral history recordings which can offer information on people, places and communities throughout Western Australia. It has a whole section devoted to family history with free access (for members) to Ancestry.com, Aboriginal reference books, newspaper archives and photographic collections.
View the curated list of Aboriginal family history resources held at the library.
This initiative provides an online portal to Aboriginal photographic collections held at the State Library of Western Australia. It features more than 12,000 photos and materials that can help people find information about their family.
View the Storylines collections held at the State Library of Western Australia.
The Department of Communities holds child welfare records created between 1953 and 1972, and records relating to legal adoptions in Western Australia. The Freedom of Information Act 1992 gives the public the right to access information held by the Department of Communities.
Visit the Department of Communities’ website.
The State Records Office holds historical sets of records from colonial and state government agencies throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. It also holds the index to the Chief Protector of Aborigines Files.
Visit the State Records Office website.
MCB holds records of interments, entombments, grave markers, cremations and memorials dating back to 1899. It includes Karrakatta, Fremantle, Pinnaroo, Midland, Guildford, and Rockingham cemeteries.
Visit the MCB website.
The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages hold records of births, deaths and marriages (BDM) in Western Australia from 1841 to the present day. You can search historical indexes online for free. The cost of BDM records varies from state to state but is normally $30 to $50 per certificate.
Visit the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.
This organisation is committed to promoting and encouraging the study of family history. With an extensive library, Family History WA is a great resource for those in the pursuit of family history knowledge.
Visit the Family History WA website.
Housed at the University of Western Australia, the Berndt Museum is an Indigenous-led institution that holds one of the most significant collections of Aboriginal cultural material in the world.
To access the collection, complete the access request form on the website.
The Carnamah Historical Society collects, records, preserves and promotes the history of Carnamah, a town and farming community in the Midwest region of Western Australia.
View the Aboriginal records on the website.
Provides family trees for Native Title holders of the Kimberley region. There is a form that you will need to fill out and return to the KLC. If you would like a copy of the form or would like more information, please fill in the enquiry form on the website or call and ask to speak with an anthropologist.
Visit the KLC website.
Mibalafoto (meaning our photos) is an online collection of photos which are of historical significance to Aboriginal people of the Kimberley region. These photos were mostly taken by missionaries who worked in the Fitzroy Crossing mission between 1949 and 1986.
View the Mibalafoto collection on the website.
This database contains burials and cremations in WA’s Midwest region. It includes the earliest known records from 1857 through to 2018 and although not complete, data entry is ongoing.
Visit the Midwest WA Heritage website.
Provides family history research services and can direct you to your relevant Prescribed Body Corporate in the Goldfields area. Please note this service is only available to people with an ancestral connection to the Goldfields region.
Visit the NTSG website to complete a family history form.
Contains a collection of records, photographs and memorabilia relating to the activities of the Benedictine order throughout Western Australia. There is information about Drysdale River Mission; Kalumburu; St Joseph’s School for Aboriginal Girls and St Mary’s Mission, New Norcia; and Subiaco Boys’ Orphanage. Some items in this collection are open for public access, while others have restricted access.
Visit the website to complete a request form to access the archive.
Provides information on the lives of individuals and families, including cemetery records, on the Eastern and North Easten Goldfields regions.
Visit the Outback Family History website.
This site, collated by the Perth Dead Persons Society, is an online index that enables you to look up marriages in Western Australia between 1841 and 1965.
Visit the Reverse "Marriage" website.
Provides assistance to Noongar people researching their family history and can help create family trees.
Complete the family history form on the website.
Holds records of children that went to Sister Kate’s Home.
Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) is the Native Title Representative Body for the Traditional Owners of WA’s Pilbara, Midwest, Murchison and Gascoyne regions. YMAC has a family information service that can identify any claim groups you may belong to and/or direct you to any relevant Prescribed Body Corporates.
Complete the return of materials request form on the website.
A resource service for people who experienced out of home care in Western Australia, including members of the Stolen Generations and other Aboriginal people placed in out-of-home care during childhood. Tuart Place can assist with finding records, tracing family, counselling and social activities.
Visit the Tuart Place website.
This service provides healing support and counselling to Aboriginal people separated from their families as a result of past governments’ removal policies and practices, including institutionalisation and adoption or foster care.
Visit Yorgum Healing Services’ website.
Provides a link-up service for Aboriginal people located in the Kimberely region who have lost touch with their families. In-house counselling and referral services are also provided when required.
Visit KSGAC’s website.
AIATSIS holds a large collection of material about and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from all corners of Australia. It has an online search engine called the Aboriginal Biographical Index and MURA which contains records and collections from every state in Australia.
Visit the AIATSIS website.
There is an extensive number of records online for those who are wishing to find information on family members who served in the armed forces.
Visit the Australian War Memorial website.
This website brings together historical resources about Australian orphanages, children’s homes and other institutions.
Find & Connect website.
Use this site to find records created by the Australian Government, including war service records, immigration records, passenger lists, and some Census records. You can find the The Bringing Them Home Index here.
Search the National Archives of Australia.
The National Library collects and makes available material of national significance about Australia and Australians. It holds books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs and oral histories that could be useful in researching your family — much of this is available through the free online research portal, Trove.
Search the collection of the National Library of Australia.
This site provides digitised newspaper articles from around Australia published from the 1800s to 1956. The sorts of information you might find include births, deaths, funerals, marriages, obituaries, inquests, court cases, social events, church activities, school exam results, sporting events, legal notices, land sales, and military service.
Search the Trove website.
This site contains information collected by countless volunteers who, over many years, have collected and recorded information from cemetery records and tombstones.
Search the Oz Burials website.
Aboriginal Affairs NSW provides a family records service to help Aboriginal people access some NSW Government records about themselves or their ancestors. The service prioritises Stolen Generations survivors.
Visit the NSW Government website.
Holds extensive published and archival collections documenting the Northern Territory's history.
Visit the Library and Archives Northern Territory website.
Holds government records relating to the administration of Northern Territory Aboriginal people. The NAA maintains a database called the Bringing Them Home (BTH) Name Index for records relating to Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. NAA staff in Darwin can undertake a search using the BTH Name Index on your behalf.
Visit the National Archives of Australia website.
Holds a large collection of records relating to immigration, convicts and prisoners, court records such as wills and inquests, early orphanages and reformatory schools, and Aboriginal people.
Visit the Queensland State Archives website.
Provides the online guide: Who's your mob? First Nations family history which includes a step-by-step guide to tracing your family history and offers a number of links to related online resources.
Visit the State Library of Queensland website.
Provides family tracing, reunion and counselling services to Aboriginal people and their families who have been separated under the past policies and practices of the Australian Government. Assistance is also provided to people over the age of 18 who have been adopted, fostered or raised in institutions.
Visit the Nunkuwarrin Yunti website.
This team is responsible for providing access to a large collection of historical records created about Aboriginal people who were from, or lived, in South Australia. Some records are restricted from general public access to protect sensitive information about individuals.
Visit the State Records of South Australia website.
Collections include government records and publications about Tasmanian Aboriginal people which were created in the context of government policies, and actions that had major impact on Tasmanian Aboriginal families and communities.
Visit the Libraries Tasmania website.
Provides confidential client-based genealogy research and referral service, assisting Victorian members of the Stolen Generations and members of the Victorian Koorie Community to trace their family history and access records.
Visit the Koorie Heritage Trust website.
Helps Stolen Generations Aboriginal people who were removed from their families. Link-up also assists Aboriginal people searching for family who were removed.
Visit the Link-up Victoria website.