Downunder with a Difference.

This writing may cause some issues but it needs to be done. For all of those who reside outside of the USA, you may understand. For those in the USA, I do not intend this to be degrading. However, everyone has their own opinions and bias. My first statement to kick this off is: “The USA is not the only place on this planet. There are other places in the world. Everything may appear to revolve around the USA but…”

I am an Australian and live in Australia. I have travelled the world. Yes, I have visited the USA at least six times. When I look at this world, I see, “One Whole Place” divided by many borders. Every place having its own customs and ways of doing things, even with genealogy.

I view a vast number of YouTube channels and sadly, hit social media at times. Most of my interests revolve around genealogy. YouTube has a vast array of the “How-to”, when it comes to genealogy. When online, the USA focus can be overwhelming. Spelling is a dead giveaway. You haven’t learnt anything in the USA, you learned it.

Surprise.

With all of this out of the way, let’s get down to: “Down Under with a Difference.”

Surprise! Australia is roughly the same size as the continental USA. Australia’s population is extremely low in comparison.¹Australia has six states and two territories plus several smaller Islands within its jurisdiction.²

There are three main times zones.³ However, this changes during summer when the clocks are adjusted but not all States participate. This usually commences on the first Sunday in October and ends on the first Sunday in April. Since Australia sits in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere e.g. New Year commences in our summer whilst it’s winter up North!⁴

Penal Colony.

As a penal colony, the British settlement began when setting up camp on 18 January 1788. First at Botany Bay and then eight days later, moving on to Port Jackson (now known as Sydney.) There were 11 ships that arrived in the First Fleet consisting of around 750+ convicts and 550 others (crew, soldiers and their families.)⁵ However, Europeans had previously documented landing on Australian shores around March 1606.⁶ Keep in mind, Indigenous Australians (First Nations People) inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years before.⁷

2025.

Jumping forward to now, 2025, there has been a huge interest, mostly by British descendants in researching their ancestry. Who was a first fleeter? It’s probably like linking USA research to the Mayflower.⁸ To understand terminology better, one needs to understand the term, “Convict.” A convict was a person transported as punishment for a crime that occurred roughly between 1788 to 1868.⁹ I will not be detailing a history lesson as to the whys etc. here.

Foundation Day.

The Commonwealth of Australia was founded on 1 January 1901.¹⁰ Australia is still connected to the British monarchy. The country has a three-tier system of government: Federal, State/Territory and Local levels.¹¹

Australia has a Prime Minister who is usually the leader of the party who wins an election. It is compulsory to vote, if you don’t a fine is issued. The voting system used is preferential where you indicate your preferences. It does not use first past the post.¹² The legal system used follows the common-law system inherited from the British.¹³

State Records.

Where to find the different records? Each State has its own records. Again, one needs to understand when a State was established.

Here is a list of the States and the years when established: New South Wales (NSW), 1788; Tasmania (TAS) (originally known as Van Diemen’s Land), 1825; Western Australia (WA), 1829; South Australia (SA), 1836; Victoria (VIC), 1851, Queensland (QLD), 1859; Northern Territory (NT), 1911 and Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 1911. Note: New Zealand became a separate colony from NSW in 1840. Please remember: any records prior to when the State/Colony was established would be found in NSW.¹⁴

There are restrictions in place to access records, especially certificates. These are usually, 100 years after the event for a birth, 75 years for a marriage and 30 years for a death. There are State variations to be aware of regarding this information.¹⁵ Each State has useful guides that can be accessed and should be read before diving in.

I have created a list in a Word document which you can access the download for free. Within the list is the following information:

1. Births, Marriages and Deaths for each State. 2. State Libraries. 3. State Archives. 4. Information relating to NT, ACT, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island. 5. First Nations research for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders (AIATSIS). 6. And a few additional pieces of information to assist with one’s research.

Useful Resources for Australian Family History Research v05 Download

Trove.

The majority of Australian census records have been destroyed.¹⁶ Looking for local news, check out TROVE.¹⁷ This site can be searched but first make sure you understand what is available. Some newspapers have not yet been digitalised. An example of this is the Mackay Daily Mercury which cuts out at the end of 1954.¹⁸^,¹⁹

Don’t forget to reach out to local family history organisations in the area of your interest. There are local libraries, too. I cannot speak for each one of these, but those I have visited have a wealth of information and very helpful staff.

Remember : Not everything is on line. Sometimes, you may need to leave your comfort zone and venture out. I have written various blogs about my visits to the following and have provided links back to those blogs:

Block Title	Link
National Archives Australia, Canberra	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/01/12/national-archives-australia/
Australian National Library, Canberra	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/01/19/australian-national-library/
Public Records Office Victoria (PROV), Melbourne	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/01/26/public-record-office-victoria-prov/
Genealogical Society of Victoria, Melbourne	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/02/02/genealogy-society-of-victoria/
State Library of Victoria, Melbourne	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/02/09/state-library-victoria/
Old Treasury Building Museum, Melbourne	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/02/16/old-treasury-building-museum/
Queensland State Library, Brisbane.	https://ancestorfamily.com/2024/02/23/queensland-state-library-brisbane/

Step-By-Step Guide.

Starting out on your Australian family history adventure? I would recommend the following publication: “Your family history. A step-by-step Guide to Getting Started.” by Marilyn Rowan and Peter Moir MA. This is one of the best “getting started” books I have come across especially for Australia. It contains 43+ pages.

There is also a workbook that you can purchase. Here is the link… https://www.familyhistoryaustralia.com.au/

Multi-Cultural Society.

Australia has a multi-cultural society, with people from all corners of the world. It is a vast, unique continent, surrounded by water. The country has a rich history going back thousands and thousands of years. More recently the British settlement coming on 238 years ago, this being a small grain of sand when compared to the original Settlers.

Acknowledgements:

All photographs have been created by AI. Ai’s version of the accompanying text.

Exceptions: Map – (a) Australia/USA and (b) Step-by-step Guide.

(a) https://hikecamppaddle.com.au/how-big-is-australia-2/

(b) https://www.familyhistoryaustralia.com.au/

Sources used within this document: