Stumbling Through History Links

Elm CStumbling Through History Links is for anyone researching Australian history. Researchers are always working on a tight or non-existent budget so all the links listed here are for resources that are free. Many of these resources I have found and used in my own research.

If you would like to report a broken link or suggest a great Australian history resource that you have found, please fill in this form so I can update this list. Given the limitations of this page I can’t add every archive and history society. The ones that are listed here have have good online resources and/or may house excellent collections. They are devoid of lurid colour schemes and flashing stars (shudder). Having said that, there are clearly some gaps in this collection. Contact me if you can help to fill the gaps.

!Recently Added!

When I add a new resource on this page I’ll feature it in this section for a while so that you can easily see when this page has been updated. I try to post and tweet new links on Sundays or Mondays. Thank you readers for all your contributions. There are now over 200 links to great Australian history resources in Stumbling Through History Links!

9/10/2016: This week’s update is all about statistics. Year books published by governments have a wealth of interesting historical information. The topics that governments chose to collect statistics on in the past reveal a lot about attitudes of the time. Now these year books are available to us in pdf files. There are many tables which would be more useful in a spreadsheet. Follow these instructions from The Economics Network to convert pdf tables into Excel.

Blogroll

Book Reviews

If you want to explore new history books and biographies with a good dose of quality writing check out these book review blogs and websites:

Business

Chinese Australia

Digital History

If you want to know about digital history head over to my digital humanities blog, Stumbling Through the Future for posts suitable for beginners getting started. Also check useful digital history links on the right hand side column of that blog.

Education History

Genealogy

Many of the websites on this page will be useful for family historians. The following websites are particularly useful to track down people from the past:

Indigenous Australia

International

No country lived in historical isolation (I welcome anyone who wants to prove me wrong on that one!) so researchers of Australian history inevitably have to consult resources held outside this region.

  • AHA Archives Wiki – “Archives Wiki is sponsored by the American Historical Association. It is intended to be a clearinghouse of information about archival resources throughout the world.”
  • Archives Grid: Find archives near you or where you are travelling anywhere in the world. This is a very incomplete list, but some little-known archives are included and it is being regularly updated.
  • Environmental History Resources
  • First World War Studies Bibliography – This extensive list of WWI books and articles is not restricted to one country or one alliance.
  • History Subject Guide, University of Sydney Library: primary and secondary sources in Australian, Asian, European, United States and Medieval history
  • Internet Archive – This is a repository of millions of digitised old books and other media. While not a truly international resource, always check it for that old book that you need.
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Victorian Studies: Links – courtesy of the Australasian Victorian Studies Association
  • Wayback Machine – Has a website or page that you want been taken down? Do you want to refer to the earlier version? Go to the Wayback Machine and see if they have archived it.

European

British

Given that Australia and New Zealand were part of the British Empire, British resources are important for Australian history.

Ireland

These websites relate to the entire island of Ireland, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Pacific

  • Digitised Pacific Resources: A gateway from the National Library of Australia to collections of digitised documentary materials relating to the history, culture and people of the Pacific region.

New Zealand

United States

There have been strong historic connections between United States and Australia which are not always recognised. I would like to add some more resources here.

Journals & Books – Open Access

There is a wealth of information in academic and literary journals but many are subscription only. Australians who want to access these should join their State Library or the National Library of Australia. With an Australian state or national library card you can then access many of these journals for free.

Wherever you are in the world it is also a good idea to check the online repositories of universities. Every university (I think) has an online repository of articles and theses written by their academics and postgraduate students.

Aside from this there are also some useful open access journals and books that you can access:

Legal History

Literary History

Media History

Digitised Newspapers, news reels, films as well as background about journalists and publications:

Religious History

War History

  • Australian War Memorial – photos, unit diaries, memorabilia, articles about Australia’s participation in external conflicts. Nothing about the conflicts between settlers and Australia’s indigenous peoples.
  • Histories of War written by Australian women – Women not only read about war, they also write about it. If you like reading war histories but want to read more widely, delve into these books.
  • Search Australian war service records – Most of the official war service records to the end of WWII have been digitised. This National Archives of Australia facility is free and easy to access from home.

World War I

  • The First AIF Database – This Australian Defence Force Academy website lists most, but not all, WWI AIF (Australian Infantry Force) servicemen and brief biographical details drawn from various AIF sources.
  • WWI Link – An Inside History resource listing the myriad WWI history projects undertaken during the centenary

World War II

Vietnam War

  • Australia’s Vietnam War – This link was contributed by Tessa Wooldridge, who says it is “especially good for teachers and students as it incorporates many interactive features”. Many new resources will be added to this site in May 2016.

By Region

Make sure you check the topic categories above for resources too.

Australia (national in scope)

Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)

New South Wales

Northern Territory & Central Australia

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

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