Western Australia

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)

The AIATSIS Family History Unit can help people researching their Indigenous family history. The AIATSIS Finding Your Family website is an online resource with a focus on helping people to learn how to do Indigenous family history research. AIATSIS offers an Australia-wide service. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Biographical Index enables you to do an online name search of some of the material in the collection. AIATSIS cannot compile family trees or help you to confirm Aboriginality, but they can offer you advice on how to begin this work yourself.

51 Lawson Crescent, Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 553, Canberra ACT 2601
Ph: 02 6246 1111
Freecall: 1800 352 553
Fax: 02 6261 4285

State Library of Western Australia

The State Library of Western Australia holds material that can help you trace your family tree. The library’s Genealogy Centre has a wide variety of sources for all Australian states and territories as well as for other countries. The JS Battye Library of West Australian history holds key resources for Aboriginal family history including mission records, photographs, oral history recordings and published books which can offer information on people, places and communities throughout Western Australia.

Perth Cultural Centre, 25 Francis Street, Perth WA 6000
Free call: 1800 198 107 (Western Australian country callers only)
Ph: 08 9427 3111
Fax: 08 9427 3256
Ask A Librarian

Storylines Project

A State Library of Western Australia project designed “to explore, identify and return Aboriginal heritage material” from Library collections. Storylines works with community to identify people, places and stories in the images and other records.

State Records Office of Western Australia

State government agencies controlled the lives of Aboriginal people in Western Australia from 1905 until citizenship rights were granted in the late 1960s. The official records that document this control are of vital significance, particularly for those people who were removed from their families and resettled elsewhere in the state. Many of these records are now held by the State Records Office. Archives staff can help you with locating records of relevance to your family history.

The Aboriginal History Research Unit in the Department of Aboriginal Affairs can also help you access state archives (see below).

Alexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, James Street West Entrance 25 Francis Street, Perth WA 6000
Ph: 08 9427 3600
Fax: 08 9427 3668
Email: sro@sro.wa.gov.au

Aboriginal History Research Service (AHRS)– Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

The Aboriginal History Research Service manages access to Western Australian state archives and some privately owned records. You can apply as a personal or family history applicant for your own records or those of your ancestors. You can apply for any records relating to you held by the department, or those relating to a specific purpose such as evidence of genealogy, dates and place of birth or a specific ancestor.

Level 2, State Library of WA, 25 Francis Street, Perth 
Post: PO Box 8349, Perth Business Centre WA 6849
Free call: 1800 161 301
Email: ahrs@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has records of births, deaths and marriages in Western Australian from 1841. 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.

Westralia Square, Level 10, 141 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000
PO Box 7720, Cloisters Square, Perth WA 6850
Free call: 1300 305 021
Ph: 08 9264 1555
Fax: 08 9264 1599

Link-Up Western Australia – Yorgum Aboriginal Corporation

Yorgum Aboriginal Corporation provides Link-Up services to Aboriginal people affected by past government policies relating to the removal of children. Case workers coordinate family research, client reunification, back to country and overall Link-Up activities. The Link-Up Up team works closely with Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) counselling services to provide a holistic support service.

Email: reception@yorgum.org.com

Perth Link-Up

3 Brammal Street, East Perth WA 6722
PO Box 236, Northbridge WA 6865
Ph: 08 9428 3700
Fax: 08 9227 0514
Email: linkup@yorgum.org.au

South Hedland – Link-Up

Suite 4/3 Brand Street, South Hedland WA 6722
Ph: 08 9140 4029
Fax: 08 9227 0514

Kalgoorlie – Link-Up

34 Dugan Street, Kalgoorlie WA 6430
Ph: 08 9091 6359

Link-Up Western Australia – Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Service

The Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Service in Broome helps members of the Stolen Generations find information about their family and locate their family members. It also helps reunite family members who have not met before.

28 Barker Street, Broome WA 6725
PO Box 2775, Broome WA 6725
Free call: 1800 830 338
Ph: 08 9193 6502
Fax: 08 9193 5693
Email: admin@kimberleystolengeneration.com.au

Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support

The Department for Communities, Child Protection and Family Support is responsible for records that include historical family and personal information about Aboriginal people and former state wards. The department’s Freedom of Information team can provide more information on accessing your own or your ancestor’s records.

Locked Bag 5000, Fremantle WA 6959
Free call: 1800 176 888
Ph (FOI): 08 6414 3344
Email: FOI@communities.wa.gov.au

Find & Connect Support Services Western Australia – Lanterns House

Lanterns House provides support and assistance to people who want to obtain records of your time in ‘care’ and to trace their family. Staff provide individual counselling and group support, and can connect you with other services and support organisations that may be able to help.

165 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont, WA 6104
Free call: 1800 161 109
Ph: 08 6164 0240
Email: lanterns@relationshipswa.org.au

Tuart Place

Tuart Place is a resource service for people who experienced out of home care in Western Australia. Tuart Place can assist with finding records, tracing family, counselling and social activities.

24 High Street, Fremantle WA 6160
Freecall 1800 619 795
Ph: 08 6140 2380
Email: admin@tuartplace.org

National Archives of Australia (Perth)

The National Archives of Australia holds federal government records, including many about Indigenous Australians (mostly people from Victoria and the Northern Territory). The archives has offices around Australia. Records about Western Australia are mostly held in Perth and Canberra. The Bringing Them Home name index can help you find information about Indigenous family members in National Archives records. The index is not available for the public to search, but an archivist will do a search for you.

384 Berwick Street, East Victoria Park WA 6101
PO Box 1144, East Victoria Park WA 6981
Ph: 08 9470 7500
Fax: 08 9470 7555
Email: archives@naa.gov.au

National Library 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. Some of these resources, such as photographs and newspapers, can be viewed online via Trove. Other material, such as some oral histories can be accessed via the Library website. The library has a family history collection and staff you can help you to locate material.

Parkes Place, Canberra ACT 2600
Ph: 02 6262 1111
Fax: 02 6257 1703
Ask a Librarian (online contact form)

Australian War Memorial

Indigenous people have served in every military conflict that Australia has been involved in since the Boer War (1899−1902). Military records are a rich source of information about the men and women who served in the armed forces and they can provide information about family members.

Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT 2612
Ph: 02 6243 4211
Fax: (02) 6243 4325
Email: info@awm.gov.au 
Web: www.awm.gov.au
Researching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander defence force service:
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/indigenous-service/researching and
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/indigenous

Researching a person – learn more about how to research your family member’s military service:
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/understanding-the-memorials-collection/researching-a-person

Research guides and websites for Indigenous family history

Research guides provide comprehensive information for people doing family history research. They often include an outline of the history of colonisation and Aboriginal protection/welfare legislation, linking these to the records that were created about Indigenous people.

Books published by AIATSIS

  • Penny Taylor, Telling it like it is: A guide to making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, AIATSIS, 1992
  • Diane Smith and Boronia Halstead, Lookin for your mob: A guide to tracing Aboriginal family trees, Aboriginal Studies Press, 1990.

Online guides

Websites

  • Storylines Project – searchable digitised collection of photographs, sound, movies and text of Indigenous people 
  • Centre for Indigenous Family History Studies (CIFHS) website is a name searchable archive of a selection of mainly government documents relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The site is updated with new records continuously. Many of the documents contain offensive language. In order to do a name search in documents on this website you need to type the following into google - site:www.cifhs.com – followed by the name you are searching for in quotation marks, such as “John Smith”.

General family history organisations and websites

Family history groups, local history societies and local libraries

Local family history groups, local history societies and local libraries are valuable sources of information and resources. They can put you in contact with people who have a good knowledge of the local history of a town or area. Many also have local studies collections with books, newspapers, family histories, photographs and manuscripts.

Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.

The Western Australian Genealogical Society aims to promote, encourage and foster the study, science and knowledge of genealogy. It has a large family history lending library, runs education courses and has special interest research groups.

6/48 May Street, Bayswater WA 6053
Ph: 08 9271 4311
Email: genealogy@wags.org.au
Web: wags.org.au

Find local libraries

You can use Australian Libraries Gateway – Find a Library to locate libraries in Western Australia with family history and local history collections. Under location select ‘WA’ and under library type select ‘Local/Family history’. You can also browse using the map.

Family history research websites

  • CoraWeb – a comprehensive, categorised and cross-referenced list of links and useful advice about tracing your family history (Australia)
  • Ancestry – Help & Advice – general family history advice, as well as information about using Ancestry’s paid services (Australia)
  • Cyndi’s List  – a comprehensive, categorised and cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online (Australia)
  • FamilySearch Learning Center – articles and short online courses put together by the largest genealogical organisation in the world (USA)
Last updated: 21 February 2024